That's Nobody's Business but the Turks!
by Grand Spark
Summary: It's finished! What started out as a simple escort mission for Rude turns into a full out undercover mission, drawing all four Turks into action.
1. Default Chapter

All characters belong to Squaresoft  
  
Adjusting his sunglasses, Rude stared at the piles of paperwork that had accumulated on his desk. Grudgingly he took a pen out of the top pocket of his coat and pulled some of the more urgent papers close to where he was sitting. It was only 7:38 in the morning, and the other desks in the Turk office were vacant. Rude was morning person, and was almost always the first one to arrive. Then it would either be Tseng or Elena, and then Reno, who would trudge towards his desk about 8:10 looking half dead.  
  
The distinct chime of the elevators sounded the arrival of Tseng, who walked casually to his desk, carrying a black leather briefcase.

"Morning Rude," Tseng said as he walked past.  
  
"Good morning, sir," Rude replied, never taking his eyes or his concentration off of the paperwork.

Tseng sat down and began to unpack his briefcase just as his phone rang. He picked it up and answered it with the curt greeting he always gave; "Yes?"

Rude looked up at his boss. Watching the way his eyes had narrowed and his face set in a grim look, he knew Tseng was most likely talking to the President.  
  
"Yes, sir, I'll be up in a minute." Tseng hung up the phone and looked at Rude. "I'll be back." Tseng got up and walked to the elevators, almost bumping into Elena as she got off.  
  
"Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry sir!" cried the frazzled Elena.

"No worries, Elena," replied Tseng as he gallantly held his arm out, motioning for her to step out first.

"Th-thank you, sir!" Elena hurried to her desk and sat down. She was grateful it was just Rude in the room. Elena knew her face was bright red, and she also knew he wouldn't say anything about it. Reno, however would have picked up on it the minute he saw her near-collision with Tseng and would have relentlessly chided her about it until Rude finally stepped in.  
  
"Good morning, Elena," Rude said, eyes never leaving his desk.

Elena flipped her computer on and waited for it to boot up. After typing in her Shinra username and password, she glanced up at the clock. It was after 8:00.

"Reno's lucky Tseng isn't here to see him come in late...again," commented Elena. As if on cue, the elevator chimed, and a very hung-over Reno entered the offices. Taking small, stiff looking steps, he made his way to his desk, uttering a pitiful sounding "Ow..." with each movement he made. Elena looked at him and was about to make a snide remark until she noticed the brownish stain on his wrinkled white shirt.

"Oh, gross, Reno! You wore that same suit yesterday!" She vividly remembered him spilling his cup of coffee down the front of himself the morning before.  
  
Ignoring the stiffness and pain in his arms, Reno raised them and smirked. "Can I have a hug, Elly?"

Disgusted, Elena turned to Rude, hoping he would take control of the situation before it got too out of control. Rude stared at Reno for a while before shaking his head.

"Reno, go wash up and get to work, before Tseng comes back. None of us wants to have to listen to another one of his lectures."

Reno stiffly waddled towards the small washroom at the back of the office. "Where is Tseng, anyways?" asked Reno.

"I'm not really sure, but I would guess he's with the president right now," replied Rude.  
  
Tseng walked into the elaborate office and sat down. He wasn't quite sure what the president had in mind. Since the Turks usually got assignments from Heidegger, he assumed that the president needed something from him unofficially.  
  
"Tseng...I have a favor to ask of you." Tseng found himself inwardly groaning. "My niece is coming this afternoon. I would like you to escort her here."  
  
"I have a meeting with Reeve and Scarlet this afternoon. However, I'll see to it that either Reno, Rude or Elena get your niece safely here."  
  
President Shinra considered it. "Send Rude. I don't want Reno within a mile of her."  
  
Tseng shook his head. Reno had made sure that the whole building knew of his successful womanizing history. However, he also knew that Reno took all his missions seriously and could be trusted with just about anything. "I can understand that, but I assure you, Mr. President, Reno is completely business-like on all his missions."  
  
"In all honesty, I would prefer that it was you going, but since that's not possible, I want you to send Rude. Here's all the information, she'll be at the train station at 2:00. You're dismissed." With that, the president turned his chair to face out the window, indication he had nothing more to do with this conversation.  
  
Tseng walked out of the office and headed up to the floor the Turks used. He knew Rude wouldn't be very happy with his "assignment", but he would just have to deal with it. The elevator stopped and Tseng stepped out onto the floor, nearly tripping over a haphazardly discarded blue Turk jacket. A blue tie and two black socks were scattered not too far away from the jacket, and two black dress shoes were in the corner. Tseng frowned. Reno habitually worked barefoot or without a shirt on. When Elena had started to complain, he had apologized and went into the bathroom, as if to properly dress, only to come out in a pair of bright green boxer shorts for the rest of the day. Although Tseng had dismissed the other two Turks so that he could reprimand Reno in private, Elena had not complained about him not wearing a jacket or socks since then.  
  
Tseng walked over to Rude's desk. "I was just in the president's office. Rene Shinra is coming in at 2 this afternoon, and he needs someone to pick her up."  
  
Rude looked up. "I suppose I'm the someone'?"  
  
Just as Tseng was about to answer Rude, Reno came out of the washroom. "Did I hear something about picking up a girl? As we all know, that's my specialty."  
  
Tseng pressed his fingers to his temples. "Rude is going at the request of President Shinra. End of story."  
  
Elena laughed. "The President is a smart man!"

Reno glared at her momentarily. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We wouldn't want little Rene flinging herself on me. I might get hurt. It's tough living with these looks..." sighed Reno.  
  
Elena smirked. "Let me assure you they hurt me more then they hurt you!"  
  
"Is jealousy rearing its ugly head?" asked Reno.  
  
"Yeah, you'd know about ugly heads, you, you, tomato head!" cried Elena.  
  
"Tomato-head? Tomato-head?! Elena, you think of the dumbest insults. In fact, I wouldn't even-"  
  
"Enough you two," rumbled a deep voice. Rude had stepped in between Reno and Elena. Even though he knew they would never actually get into a physical brawl, the two seemed to settle down a little quicker when Rude was towering over them in his no-nonsense manner.

"Thank you, Rude," acknowledged a stressed out Tseng.

Rude nodded and went back to the paperwork on his desk. The rest of the day seemed to go rather smoothly, and before long, it was time for Rude to leave. Locking up his desk for the night, he walked out to the elevator.  
  
Rude had never met the President's niece, and from the stories he heard, he was glad. The entire Shinra clan was immensely wealthy, and also very snobby, arrogant, egotistical, haughty, had been so lost in thought, he didn't realize he was already at the train station. Shaking his head, he looked at his watch. He was early. As usual. He sat down on a bench and crossed one leg over the other. After about half an hour, a train pulled to a halt. Standing up, Rude straightened his uniform and brushed off the dirt he had accumulated from sitting on the dirty bench. He watched as people got off the train, looking for the president's niece. He spotted her the minute she got off. There was no mistaking Rene Shinra. She looked exactly like her cousin, Rufus. The same thin frame, same floppy blonde hair, same turned up nose and the same piercing blue eyes.  
  
Rude sighed as he walked up to her. She looked at him condescendingly and asked, "Are you the Turkey my uncle sent to pick me up?"  
  
Rude rolled his eyes, glad they were hidden behind the ever present sunglasses. "...Let's go."  
  
Rene had always found the slums fascinating. Maybe because it just boosted her ego, knowing that she was better off than any person she looked at. They had only been walking a few minutes before a grimy looking man stepped right in front of Rene's path. "What's a purty lookin lady like you doin' here in the slums? How bout if I-"  
  
Rude interrupted the man by stepping in front of Rene and grabbing the vagrant's wrist, twisting it around into a very painful, unnatural direction.

"I suggest you leave. Now." Rude calmly whispered to the man. Once Rude let go, the man groaned painfully as he ran away.  
  
Rene stepped away from the Turk. "Geez, what a barbarian! No wonder you have this job. You don't have enough couth to do anything else."  
  
Rude grunted in response, desperately wondering why Reno couldn't be in his place. He would have gladly done ten times the paperwork to get out of this. Even Elena would have been able to handle the girl's attitude better than he could.  
  
Unsatisfied with the lack of a response she got from the Turk, Rene tired again. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself." Still no reply from Rude. "In fact, I think I'm just going to stand right here until you apologize to me."  
  
Rude stopped. "Apologize? For what?"

"For that unpleasant scene back there," said Rene sadistically.  
  
Rude shook his head and began to walk away. True to her word, Rene didn't move an inch. He stopped and looked back at her.

"You want me to apologize to you for not letting some sleaze take advantage of you? Do you have any idea what he would have done to you if you were by yourself?"  
  
Rene batted her eyelashes innocently. "Why, no, whatever would he have done?"  
  
"...If I apologize, can we get out of here?" Rude was usually a man of principles, but he was willing to do whatever necessary to get away from Rene as fast as possible.  
  
"You have to get on your knees and beg." She laughed as she knew that would never happen.  
  
Rude smiled as he pulled a small circular green orb from his pocket. Rene's eyes widened, suddenly intimidated. She heard Rude mutter something softly as a green glow emitted from his hand, and then felt her eyelids become heavy as she began to collapse into a deep sleep. Rude caught her just before she hit the ground and hoisted her onto his shoulder. Still smiling, he put the sleep materia back into his pocket, wondering why he didn't think of that sooner.  
  
By the time Rene woke up, she found herself seated in the front seat of a car. Rude turned his attention away from the road to briefly look at her. Wow, if looks could kill,' he thought. Oh well, at least she's quiet.' Pulling up to the Shinra building, the two entered and got on the elevator that went to the president's office. When the doors opened, they found President Shinra and Rufus waiting.  
  
Leaving the girl to the family reunion, Rude walked back to the elevator and pushed the button for the Turk floor. When he got off, he saw Tseng gently banging his head on his desk repeatedly and Reno and Elena face to face shouting silly insults at each other.  
  
"Pork brain!" yelled Elena.  
  
"Banana lips!" countered Reno.  
  
Rude walked over to Tseng's desk and cleared his throat. Tseng looked up at Rude who had an eyebrow cocked. "I don't even know, Rude. Don't ask. Did you get the president's niece back okay?" Tseng asked.  
  
"Yeah. I need about fifteen drinks, but we got back okay."  
  
Tseng laughed. "So apparently all the stories are true."  
  
"She's ten times worse in real life."  
  
Rude went back to his paperwork. When he had finished, it was time to go home. He stood up and stretched. Reno walked over to him. "Tough day, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, looking forward to the weekend." replied Rude. "You up for a drink?"  
  
Reno snorted. "Who, me? The perpetual alcoholic? You don't need to ask me twice. Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving at the bar, Reno and Rude both seemed to relax considerably. It had almost become a tradition for the two to stop by the bar Friday night after work. Seating themselves at the bar, they ordered their drinks. As they waited, Reno pulled a crumpled up pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and lit one up. He offered one to Rude, who merely held up his hands in decline. Reno shook his head as he blew a cloud of smoke across the bar. The two were as close as friends could be, but different as night and day. Reno and Rude had been recruited for the Turks at the same time and had immediately hit it off. Reno was loud, obnoxious, and stubborn while Rude was quiet, analytical and reliable. Reno smoked and had a mouth that would easily rival Cid Highwind's any day. Rude was never big on smoking and usually left the cursing to Reno, who swore more than enough for the both of them. Where Reno was one extreme, Rude was the exact opposite. And that,' thought Reno to himself, is probably why we get along so well.'  
  
The drinks came, and Reno threw back half of his beer in the first gulp. "So, Rude, what do you think of Elena? She's been a Turk for over a month now."  
  
Rude thought about the eager blonde Turk while absently swirling his drink. "She's a little short in the fighting and common sense department, but she more than makes up for it with her knowledge of computers and electronics."  
  
"She's got it bad for Tseng."  
  
"Really? I hadn't noticed."  
  
"Very funny, Rude. You think he knows?"  
  
"I don't see how he could miss it."  
  
"I think we should set em up. You know, kinda like a blind date thing, only without either of them knowing? Maybe in some sort of cheap, sleazy hotel..."  
  
"And I think you should just stay out of it."  
  
"And you know, Tseng has been a little stressed out lately. Maybe some womanly companionship would help him ease up a bit."  
  
"Maybe if you didn't run around the office in your boxers, Tseng wouldn't be so stressed out in the first place."  
  
"...That was great, wasn't it? Did you see the look on Elena's face? Getting chewed out by Tseng was worth it just for her reaction!"  
  
The two laughed at the memory and settled into a comfortable silence. Reno finished his drink and ordered another. "So, how was picking up little Miss Shinra today?"  
  
Rude groaned. "I'll be very happy if I never, ever have to deal with her again."  
  
"She good lookin'?"  
  
"She looks like a female version of Rufus."  
  
"I'm not sure if that's good or bad."  
  
"She'd be okay if she lost the whiney attitude. I ended up casting a sleep spell on her and carrying her out of the slums."  
  
Reno snorted with laughter. "I'll bet she was pissed when she woke up."  
  
"She was."  
  
A few beers later, Reno looked up at Rude with glassy eyes and a silly expression on his face. "Hey Rude? Tseng's got nice hair. Ya think he uses conditioner?"  
  
Rude threw some gil on the bar to cover the drinks and pulled Reno off the bar stool. "You know, the problem with you Reno, is I can never really tell how drunk you are, because you say stupid stuff like this even when you're completely sober."  
  
Reno just smiled. "I'm not drunk Rude. My hair just never looks as nice as his."  
  
"I'm sure Tseng combs his out once in a while."  
  
"Oh. At least you don't hic have to worry bout that..."  
  
Tseng stayed at his desk until late that evening, looking over the schedule for the next week. Shinra had provided the Turks with a massive gym for them to train and work out in, and Tseng insisted that they all make full use of it, at least twice a week.  
  
Monday would be a good day for that. Reno and Rude were superb close range fighters, and Elena was a crack-shot. The three had yet to work as a team in battle, but Tseng was pretty sure that with Reno and Rude mercilessly pummeling the enemy, and Elena alternating between shooting and healing, the three would be unstoppable. However, a Turk should be well trained in more than one kind of weapon, and Elena desperately needed to properly learn how to use her fists in combat. Monday would give them a chance for the four to brush up on their hand to hand combat skills.  
  
Packing up his belongings, Tseng thought about Elena. He knew from the moment he'd met her that she harbored a pretty hefty crush on him. He tried to remain neutral around her. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her company, or didn't think she was attractive, but he had a job to do. He knew relationships between coworkers often ended bitterly, especially when two people worked so close together. He couldn't risk either of them fumbling a mission because of emotions.  
  
Tseng walked to the elevator, finally ready to go home for the weekend. Most people would crack under the kind of stress Tseng bore, but he really did love his job. He loved the adrenaline high he got during missions, and the feeling of a job well done afterwards. He liked the responsibility of training new Turks and shaping them into functional members of Shinra. He was very fond of the people he worked with. He could always count on Reno for comic relief around the office when tensions were high. Even though he ended up disciplining Reno at least every other day for some thing or another, he usually did it holding back a smile. Rude, on the other hand, was a constant source of sanity for Tseng. Keeping his redheaded friend in check, and responsible and dependable to the last, Tseng was sure Rude would advance quickly.  
  
The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and Tseng walked to his car, more than ready to go home.  
  
The weekend was over all too quickly for Elena. As she walked into the office Monday morning, she found Rude and Tseng standing in the middle of the room. She gingerly set her purse down on her desk, and snapped on the computer.  
  
"Actually, you wont be needing the computer today, Elena," called Tseng.  
  
Elena looked at the two men in the middle of the room with a confused face.  
  
"It's one of Tseng's self-declared training days," explained Rude.  
  
"As soon as Reno gets here, we start," finished Tseng.  
  
Elena scratched the back of her neck, mildly worried. She had only been a Turk officially for just over five weeks, but she knew what Tseng's training days' could be like. She was in top physical shape, but that really didn't matter much when you couldn't throw a good punch.  
  
A few minutes later, Reno walked in, sober and with a goofy grin on his face. Elena gave a small laugh. "Reno? Sober at 8 in the morning? Why, whatever has come over you?"  
  
Unfortunately, Tseng and Rude knew exactly what he was so happy about from the look on his face. Tseng knew from experience that when Reno came in like this in the morning, he had either visited the Honey Bee Inn, or had gotten to know some woman at a bar very well. He silently prayed that Elena would stop harassing Reno before he could start spouting off every detail of his wild night, as was usual.  
  
"'Whatever has come over me?'" repeated Reno, his grin widening. "Let me think..."  
  
"Reno, not now. We're going to the gym today," Tseng stepped in.  
  
"Awww, Tseng, today? Common, we're all in great shape. And let me assure you, I definitely got a workout last night!" laughed Reno. He started to laugh even harder as he saw Elena's face redden as she figured out what Reno was so happy about.  
  
It took a few minutes, but after Tseng finally had the group under control, they all rode the elevator up to the gym. There was one locker room in the back, outfitted with a simple wooden bench and 8 lockers. After each Turk went to their respective locker to obtain their workout uniform, the three men left wordlessly, with Tseng pulling the door shut behind them so Elena could change.  
  
She neatly hung up her coat, pants, and crisply pressed white shirt, exchanging them for a grey sweat suit. Sitting on the bench to lace up her running shoes, she heard a light knock on the door. "It's alright, you can come in," she called.  
  
The door opened. Rude and Tseng hung up their uniforms as neatly as Elena had, while Reno balled his up and held them like a basketball. Attempting to make a basket' into his open locker, he overshot and his wad of clothes ended up on top of the locker. Kicking his locker shut in disgust and ignoring the stifled laughter coming from the other three Turks, he walked out to the middle of the gym with Rude, Tseng and Elena at his heels. They looked expectantly at Tseng, wondering what the fearless Turk leader had planned for them to work on today.  
  
"Today I figured we would work on close range, hand to hand combat. You can never practice that enough. Weapons can be lost or misfire, but you always have your fists. Ultimately, they are your backup and may save your life, should you ever be in such a position."  
  
The group nodded as Tseng went on. "We all have different fighting styles, so I want everyone to fight with everyone. The more you practice, the faster it becomes second nature. We have more than enough mastered Cure materia and half a day off after this, so I don't want anyone to hold back. Especially you, Elena. Don't be afraid to go after us with all you've got." Elena nodded weakly. "Alright, I want Reno and Rude together, and Elena and me first." Tseng finished. The group nodded once more as Rude and Reno strolled over to the opposite corner of the gym.  
  
"Alright, Elena. Show me your stance," ordered Tseng.  
  
Hesitantly, Elena stood with her feet shoulder-width apart, her right foot slightly in front of her left. Balling up her fists and holding them in front of her chest, she looked at Tseng.  
  
"Your posture is good, but you're going to break your thumbs that way," Tseng noted and he unfurled her fists and placed her thumbs on the outside of her fingers. "Alright, now you're ready. The key to fighting is finding your opponent's weak spot. There's always some area that they fail to block well. Once you see that, go after that area. The tricky thing is not letting them see one of your weak spots. Just remember that and you'll be fine. For now, I'll try and block all your punches and kicks. Don't worry about guarding yourself, just try and find a good place to attack me."  
  
Elena gritted her teeth in compliance as Tseng went into a defensive battle posture and gestured for her to start. Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the grunts and groans of pain that Rude and Reno were inflicting on each other, she quickly swung her fist at Tseng's head. Tseng merely brought up his arm, swiping her hand away from his face. She tried to kick him in the stomach, but before her foot could come in contact with him, he grabbed her by the ankle, throwing her off balance.

Frustrated, Elena was determined more than ever to show Tseng what she could do. She raised her leg up and stomped on Tseng's foot as hard as she could. Tseng hadn't been expecting that and momentarily lost his focus. Seeing her window of opportunity, Elena jabbed him in the stomach, and as he fought the urge to double over, she jumped onto his back. She kicked the back of his knee, knocking it from under him and pinned him to the floor. She heard laughing and looked up at Reno. Flustered, she rolled off Tseng's back and the two wearily got up. Rude had a small smile on his face and Reno was applauding her effort.  
  
"Man, you fight like a girl, Elly! I'm surprised you didn't pull his hair or scratch him with your nails!" shrieked Reno through his fits of laughter.  
  
"Reno..." Tseng warned through the tone of his voice, "Elena did exactly what I told her to. I told her to look for an area I was bad at blocking. Apparently, that's my foot." He smiled at Elena. "Good job. I had expected that to take longer."

Elena beamed.

"Alright, let's switch. Now that Elena's got the basics, I want her to take on Rude." Elena blanched, not noticing the look Tseng threw at Rude, clearly saying go easy on her, but make it a fair fight'.

Rude nodded in acknowledgment. As the two began to walk to the same corner where Rude had been previously, Elena looked up at Rude clearly intimidated. She knew she was no match for his large, solid muscle frame. As she looked at her partner, Tseng's words replayed in her head; "I don't want anyone to hold back..."

Swallowing, she looked at Rude and nodded, saying she was ready. All I have to do is what I did with Tseng. Just find a weak spot,' she thought. However, her train of thought quickly derailed as she saw Rude pounce from his stance. Holding back the scream she desperately wanted to cry, she collapsed to the floor, arms over her head. Although she knew that must have looked very weak on her part, she had managed to escape Rude's punch.

Standing up, she quickly thought back to her previous fight with Tseng. Deciding that her technique might work here, she raised her foot again in an attempt to repeat it. But Rude had witnessed his leader fall for this and had expected her to try it again. Reaching down, he grabbed her ankle and swung her over his hip. She landed with a dull thud, but sprang back up in a flash.

She ran around to his back before he could turn around and jumped up, arms around his throat and her ankles locked around the front of his waist. She wriggled and struggled wildly, trying to somehow knock him off balance from her position. However, her small frame wasn't enough to knock 230 pounds of muscle over, and Rude ended up just standing there, waiting for her to back down.  
  
From across the gym, Reno and Tseng were engaged in a heated fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Reno noticed that Rude was just standing there. Noticing Reno's pause, Tseng looked over at Rude. As the two walked over, Tseng threw Rude a questioning glance. Even with Elena still struggling on his shoulders, he managed a nonchalant shrug. After another minute of useless struggling, a winded Elena gave up. Rude kneeled on the padded floor and Elena climbed off his back.

Oh, that sure went well,' thought Elena as she looked at Tseng.

Tseng, in return, looked as the clock on the wall, and then back at the three Turks. "Well, I think maybe that's enough for today," The relief in Rude's face was obvious. "You're all dismissed."  
  
The group made their way back to the locker room, blissfully unaware of what would happen at the Shinra mansion that night.  
  
As Rene Shinra climbed into bed for the evening, she smiled. She loved visiting her uncle and her cousin. Her dad was President Shinra's brother, and part owner of the company, making her immediate family very wealthy. However, her own family was nothing like the president and Rufus. They made a habit of telling her to count her blessings' or give to the less fortunate' or some other philosophical garbage like that. They were hypocrites; neither her mom nor her dad ever did any of those things. It was only around her Uncle Shinra and Rufus where she could act herself. Her normal snobby, conceited self. As she pulled the expensive silk sheets over her, she heard a faint click come from the front door of the guest house. She figured it was either her uncle or Rufus and walked out towards the front door.  
  
"...Hello?" she called, noticing the front door was open. Panic setting in, she began to run to the phone, only to be roughly caught by the arm. "Going somewhere?" a harsh voice pressed.  
  
Out of sheer fright, Rene fainted. "Good, that makes getting her out of here a bit easier," commented one man to the other.

"Whatever, let's just go," prodded the other. "This place creeps me out." Leaving a small note on the coffee table, the two black clad men quietly crept to the running car waiting just outside the parameter of the mansion.  
  
The next morning, Heidegger ran as fast as his short, stubby legs would carry him. After catching his breath during the elevator ride to the Turk floor, he raced to Tseng's desk. Tseng looked up at the chubby man and immediately knew something was very wrong.  
  
"What is it Heidegger?" asked Tseng. The three other Turks had stopped what they were doing to listen to his reply.  
  
"President huff Shinra's niece...she's been taken hostage!"


	3. Chapter 3

The four Turks looked wordlessly at Heidegger, who was flailing his arms wildly, as if to speed up their reactions. Tseng was the first to speak. "Where was she taken from?"  
  
"From the guest room at the Shinra mansion," replied Heidegger.  
  
"How on earth could anyone have gotten past the guards?" asked Tseng.  
  
"They used some kind of sleep-petrify spell, or at least that's the best we can tell."  
  
"All the guards have armor that protects against that sort of magic," pointed out Tseng.  
  
Heidegger waved his arms again. "I know that, Tseng! I'm just telling you what we know - which, as you can imagine, is not much at this point. The guards are still out and all we have to go on is this note," rushed Heidegger breathlessly as he handed the Turk leader a sloppy, handwritten note, enclosed in a plastic bag.  
  
Tseng read the note aloud as he walked over to the copy machine. "Shinra: To ensure the survival of our resources, we must insist the mako reactor being built in Garin be destroyed immediately. Until our request is met, we will keep the collateral. Signed, AGP" finished Tseng as he made a copy of the note through the plastic.  
  
Elena scrunched up her face in thought. "AGP? The abductor's initials, maybe?"

"AGP stands for The Association of Gaia's Protectors," Rude informed Elena. "They're a small group of planet-loving militants."  
  
Elena's face remained the same, even in light of the new information she had just been given. "But why would they take the president's niece, instead of Rufus? Wouldn't he have made a more valuable hostage?"  
  
Heidegger nodded at the sensible question. "The President's niece was staying in the guest house, which is smaller and less guarded. And, if that is the case, then they knew she was visiting her uncle. But, like I said, at this point, we really don't have much to go on. You are to take over the investigation immediately - this is you're first priority."  
  
Tseng nodded as he handed the bag to Elena. "Take this to the lab and ask them if they can find out anything from it- fingerprints, hair, whatever."  
  
Elena snapped to attention as she accepted the bag. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Elena left, leaving Heidegger, Tseng, Rude and Reno to piece together the few clues they had. Reno was the first to speak. "So, I'm assuming just destroying the reactor isn't an option..."  
  
Rude nodded. "That seems like the easiest and fastest solution. After all, they just started putting up the reactor. There's wouldn't be much to tear down."  
  
Heidegger shook his head. "It took Shinra geologist 3 years to pinpoint that mako well. It's a very promising site. That's not an option."  
  
"Even for the guy's niece? Cheap jackass," noted Reno. "Hey, why couldn't we just tear it down and then build it back up after they give Rene back?"  
  
"Because, that would be a waste of money. I'm starting to get the idea that you don't think you can handle the job, Reno," said Heidegger.  
  
Reno's eyes narrowed. Biting his tongue, he resisted to let lose the slew of comebacks he had. Instead he quietly replied, "I just think it would be wiser to let these guys hand her back on their own. She's less likely to be harmed that way."  
  
Tseng had to admit he was impressed. It wasn't often that Reno held anything back, especially to Heidegger, who was often the butt of Reno's fat jokes. But he knew it wouldn't last much longer and stepped in. "We'll find her. I'm sure the analysis on the note will turn up something," said Tseng as he stood up.  
  
"Thank you, Tseng. I'm sure you're well aware that the President will be waiting for updates on the situation," said Heidegger as he walked towards the elevator.  
  
After he left, Reno kicked the small garbage can by his desk. "Man I hate that guy!"  
  
Rude finally spoke up. "I think we should visit Garin. They must have some type of lookout there."  
  
"I was thinking that we should send one of us undercover to join AGP. However, I'm afraid they would recognize any one of us in a flash," said Tseng.  
  
Rude was the first to comprehend what Tseng was saying. "Oh, man Tseng...you're not suggesting that we send Elena..."  
  
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Any objections?"  
  
Unaware that she had just been elected to become a spy in AGP, Elena entered the Shinra lab. Walking up to the front desk, she held up the bag.  
  
"Excuse me, I need to talk to the highest ranking scientist in forensics..."  
  
The woman looked up from her desk and pointed to a set of double doors. "Through there, take the first right and down three doors. His name is Dr. Com."  
  
Elena thanked the woman and headed towards Dr. Com's office. After explaining the situation, she told him what she needed. "I also expect you realize that this is not to be discussed with anyone," added Elena.  
  
The scientist looked somewhat annoyed at her comment. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."  
  
Elena blushed. "Sorry, just doing my job, ya know..." murmured Elena.

Dr. Com snapped on a pair of gloves and opened up the bag on his lab table. Realizing that Elena was still in his lab, he turned to look at her. "You do know that this will take me a while, right? I'll call Mr. Tseng when the results are ready."  
  
Refusing to let Dr. Com know how embarrassed she was, she quickly thanked him and walked back out and headed up to the office.  
  
Tseng looked up as he saw Elena step off the elevator. "Dr. Com will call you as soon as the results are ready," relayed Elena to her boss.  
  
Tseng nodded. "You have your first real assignment Elena."

Elena looked up hopefully. She had been waiting for the opportunity to show the others she could do more than fix the computer when it froze.  
  
"You are to go undercover and join AGP. Find out as much as you can. I want names of the superior officers, hideouts, everything, and of course, information on where the President's niece is being held. I want you to leave for Garin in the morning. There should be some people there watching over the mako well. Talk to them about joining. Above all, don't mention anything about what you do for a living. Use your judgment." Handing her a book of company checks, he added, "Take the rest of the day off and purchase whatever you need. Remember, you're supposed to be a naturalist. In the morning, we'll have an airship ready for you."  
  
Elena was a little overwhelmed. After a month of menial jobs, suddenly she was faced with what could become a very dangerous mission. Steeling her resolve, she took the checkbook from Tseng and grabbed the purse lying on her desk.

She nodded to the others and walked into the elevator, turning around just in time to see Reno slam his hand against the side to keep it open as he walked in. Wordlessly, Elena pushed the ground floor button and looked at Reno. "What floor do you need?"  
  
Reno shook his head. "Uh, same one. Ground level," he stammered.  
  
After the doors shut and the elevator began to move, Reno turned to Elena.  
  
"Lena?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"...Be careful."  
  
Elena turned up at Reno, who was staring at his shoes. "...Thank you, Reno. I will."  
  
Reno sheepishly looked up and gave a slight nod. Seeing that they were almost at the ground floor, he quickly gave her a half hug and ruffled her hair with his knuckles. The door opened and Elena got off. She waved to Reno, who flashed her with one of his cheesy grins.


	4. Chapter 4

Elena spent close to four hours running around different stores, frantically obtaining everything she thought she would need for her trip to Garin. By the time she returned to her small apartment, she was exhausted.

Scanning over the list she had made prior to shopping, she was convinced she hadn't forgotten anything. She had bought a few outdoorsy outfits and an array of camping accessories. She looked at the clothes she'd bought, and put on a light blue tee shirt and a pair of cutoff jean shorts.

Mussing up her normally immaculate hair into a disarray of blonde locks, and pulling on a pair of hiking boots over a pair of white socks, she looked at the reflection in her floor length mirror. Nodding to herself in approval, she went to her bathroom to take a hot shower.  
  
After Elena had left, there really wasn't much else Tseng, Reno or Rude could do. The lab tests on the letter would take at least another day, and so little was known about AGP that there wasn't even any research to do. As night began to fall, Reno and Rude walked out to the parking deck together, ready to go home. Rude could sense that something was bothering Reno, but her couldn't tell exactly what was on his mind. He decided against asking, knowing that Reno trusted him enough to talk to him on his own.  
  
Their footfalls echoed ominously in the empty parking deck. After a few minutes, they reached Reno's parking spot.  
  
"'Night, Reno," said Rude. He turned to walk to his car, but stopped as he felt Reno's hand grab the crook of his arm. Rude turned around, facing his friend.  
  
"What's up, Reno?" Rude's eyes widened behind his sunglasses as he saw the genuine concern in Reno's face. Even when Reno was fleeing death, he never showed any sign of worry.  
  
Reno looked away. "You think she's going to be okay?"  
  
Rude tilted his head. "Elena?"  
  
"...Yeah."  
  
Rude nodded. "I think she'll be fine."  
  
"She's kind of like a little sister to all of us, 'ya know?"  
  
"Is that why you tease her so much?"  
  
Reno hung his head. "Do you think I ever really hurt her feelings?"  
  
Rude pondered the question. There were a few times that the two would get into a name calling spat and Reno would deal her a low blow. Elena would excuse herself to the back washroom, emerging a few minutes later, sniffling with slightly red eyes. But it seemed the rookie Turk had grown accustomed to Reno's caustic attitude, and began to throw back insults just as mean and nasty as his.  
  
"Nah, Reno. She just wasn't used to it. She was an only child who grew up on the outside. It's better she be a little more jaded and a little less naïve, especially in this job."  
  
"I tried to apologize to her this afternoon. For teasing her about Tseng."  
  
"...And?"  
  
"I ended up saying 'good luck'. Smooth, huh?"  
  
"I'll bet she knew what you meant."  
  
Reno looked up. "You think so?"  
  
"Yeah. Every time I screw up the computer and I try to explain what happened, she knows exactly what I'm trying to say before I even finish."  
  
"Geez, Rude, what do you expect? She's got a degree in computer stuff. Of course she knows what you're talking about when it relates to computers."  
  
Rude shrugged. "So tell her again."  
  
"When does she leave?"  
  
"As soon as she gets to work tomorrow."  
  
Reno paused as his face lit up. "Thanks, man. Hey, I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, Reno slapped Rude on the arm and quickly walked back to the Shinra building.  
  
Rude shook his head as he headed towards his car. "What was that all about?" he asked himself. Pulling a key from his pocket, he got in his car and headed home.  
  
Reno raced up to his desk and looked around for a piece of paper. There were empty paper cups, a magic eight ball, a tie, a paperclip chain, and lots of used papers, but no blank pieces.

Looking around, he noticed the notepad on Tseng's orderly desk. Ripping of a piece of the paper, he began his note, right underneath the embossed Shinra logo. After scrawling his note, he stapled it shut and addressed it to Elena. Leaving it on Tseng's desk, along with another note, asking him to give it to her before she left, he finally left the building satisfied.  
  
Elena arrived back at work the next morning with butterflies in her stomach. She was a combination of nervousness, excitement, edginess and anxiety. Taking a deep breath as the elevator neared her floor, she tried to put her emotions aside and look professional.  
  
Tseng was leaning against the wall near the elevator waiting for Elena. He pushed himself off to greet her as the chime rang. Holding back a smile, he gave the rookie a once-over; she had on a dull blue tee shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a fringy pair of blue jean shorts, a large pair of hiking shoes, and her hair looked like she had slept on it wet and hadn't even bothered to comb it out.  
  
"Nice work, Elena."  
  
"All she needs a sign that says, 'Save the Planet' on it," said Rude from his desk.  
  
"I'm sure that the AGP will provide her with one," laughed Tseng. He glanced at the clock and his smile fell. "Are you ready?"  
  
Elena nodded, anxiety overwhelming her again. Tseng pressed the button on the elevator and the doors opened.  
  
Rude leapt up from his desk and half jogged to Elena. "Take care of yourself, Elena," said Rude as he held out his hand.  
  
Elena reached up and put her hand in Rude's. "Thanks!" she smiled.  
  
Tseng and Elena stepped into the elevator and made their way to the private Shinra airfield in the back of the building. Tseng turned, giving her last minute instructions.  
  
"Your plane should be ready by now. It will take you to Gongaga, and from there, you're on your own. Garin is about a mile northwest. There will be a map in the plane, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. Here's an alpha-numeric pager. If you ever need to get in contact with me, use this." Elena took the pager and placed it in the twine bag she was carrying.  
  
They got off the elevator and walked outside to a small plane. Two Shinra employees stood by it; one loaded Elena's small suitcase on the plane as the other made one last check on the plane. Suddenly Tseng remembered the letter in his pocket.  
  
"Oh, Reno left this on my desk for you." Tseng held out the folded piece of paper.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I didn't read it. It was just on my desk this morning with a note from him asking me to give it to you."  
  
As Elena took the note from Tseng, her hand brushed up against his. Against his better judgment, Tseng placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He looked her in the eye for a few seconds before quietly whispering, "Please be careful."  
  
Gazing up at Tseng with eyes wide and her mouth agape, she tried to answer him, but nothing came out. Nodding mutely, Tseng smiled and stepped back, quickly breaking the moment for Elena. She snapped out of her trance and regained her composure. "Yes, sir!"  
  
Without looking back, she boarded the small jet and buckled herself into the seat.  
  
The plane taxied out to a runway, and they began their ascent, high into the south west sky. Once the plane was level, she remembered the note Tseng had given her. She ripped the stapled piece of paper open and looked at it. There was no doubt in her mind that it was, in fact, from Reno. The sloppy handwriting and numerous scribbled-out mistakes were a telltale signature of the redhead. Smiling as she shook her head, she began to read.  
  
"Elena- Yesterday in the elevator, I meant to apologize for some of the things I've said to you during the past few weeks. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, ever. I never really had a family, and I guess I kind of adopted you as the little sister I never had. Good luck, and be careful. It would be too much trouble to have to go out and find another surrogate little sister. Your hunk of flaming hotness, Reno. P.S. If you ever mention this letter to anyone, I will hunt you down."  
  
Elena set the letter in her lap as she stared out the window into the sky. She knew he had meant to say this to her yesterday.

'It must have been bothering him pretty bad to make him write this,' she thought. Folding the note back up, she neatly put it into her bag.  
  
Rene Shinra had no idea where she was. Her hands were tied behind her back and there was a thick blindfold covering her eyes. She guessed she was in some type of cell; she could feel the cold cement against her back and hear the empty echoing of a leak, rhythmically dripping into a puddle. She didn't even know what time it was; as best as she could guess, it had been at least twenty-four hours since she was taken from the guesthouse.  
  
Shivering, she pulled her knees closer to her chest as she heard a door open and heavy footstep walk her way.  
  
"Ah, you're awake. Don't worry. Your uncle knows what to do. As soon as the Garin reactor is torn down, we'll give you a one way ticket outta here."  
  
Any hope Rene had quickly dissolved after hearing that. She remembered how Shinra scientists had known there was an impressive mako site around the Garin area, and how long it had taken the company to pinpoint the best site. Her uncle wasn't one to let years of effort and many millions of gil go down the drain so easily. Resting her chin on her knees, she sat in her cell, the epitome hopelessness.


	5. Chapter 5

After an hour of walking, Elena was finally in Garin. Garin was a good sized city, mostly populated by farmers, craftsmen and factory workers. It was surrounded by a river on the north side, and a wall of caves bordered its west boundary. Elena took a quick glance around the city and headed westward. She stopped at the mouth of a large cave where two men were standing guard. Dropping her luggage at her feet, she stared up at them. "I want to talk to someone about AGP."  
  
The first man eyed her suspiciously. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Elena had been going over numerous scripts and scenarios on the plane ride, so there was no hesitation in her answer. "Yes you do. I heard about you from someone at a bar I go to. I wanted to see if the stories I heard were true. If they are, I can supply you with more recruits, weapons, you name it."  
  
The man's suspicious glare did not fall. "Where are you going to get those things?"  
  
"I belong to a small group. It's similar to yours, but underdeveloped. One of my members owns a weapons shop and can equip us with anything we need. Let me talk to someone in charge."  
  
The man tilted his head in thought. The story sounded a little strange, although somewhat realistic. There were many groups that resisted Shinra, though not many had the organization and strength of AGP. "So what, exactly, can you help us with right now?"  
  
Elena quickly scanned her mind; not wanting to slip saying that she knew they had kidnapped Rene Shinra. Tseng had suggested that the story not be made public, and to reveal she had inside information would be as good as pulling out her Shinra ID badge and waving it around.  
  
Looking at him with cold resolve she answered, "I know that Shinra's building a reactor in there." She gestured with a nod towards the cave. "I also know if you want to put up a fight, you'll need snipers stationed at posts." She put a hand on her hip, waiting for his response.  
  
"Are you volunteering to be our sniper?"  
  
"You won't find a better shot than me."  
  
The man flashed a hand signal to his partner, who, upon seeing it, whipped a gun out and trained it at Elena's head. The first man handed her the rifle tucked behind the back of his shirt. "Fine. Show me what you can do, but I wouldn't suggest trying anything funny."  
  
Elena nodded curtly as she took the weapon. Looking for a suitable target, she noticed a chain-link fence a few hundred feet off. Securing the butt of the rifle in her shoulder, she steadied her breath and pulled the trigger back. A small 'ping' could be heard as the bullet stuck one of the poles supporting the fence. She lightly tossed the gun up in the air and caught it by the muzzle. She handed it back to the first guard with a small smile.  
  
The guard was impressed. Deciding the woman standing in front of him could be too valuable for AGP to pass up, he looked at his partner. "Stay here, I'm going to take her to see Roth."  
  
Elena picked up her bags and the two walked back towards the town in an awkward silence. Elena finally spoke up, shattering the silence. "So, is Roth the head of AGP?"  
  
The man stared as the ground as he walked, nodding his head. "Yup. Head, founder, leader, organizer...whatever you want to call him."  
  
Elena nodded. "...I don't think I caught your name..."  
  
"I don't think I mentioned it. It's Gene. And yours?"  
  
"Elena."  
  
Gene nodded as they entered the bustling city. They walked down a street and turned into the middle of the city. There was a large and impressive factory opposite a small shack next to a materia shop. Gene turned and entered into the shack, followed by Elena. Elena set her bags down and glanced around her surroundings while Gene grabbed a blindfold off a table. "Turn around."  
  
Elena did as she was instructed, allowing the thick blindfold to be placed around her eyes. Gene moved a rug out of the way, exposing a small hatch. Turning the combination dial, he opened it up. Gene grabbed Elena's arm and led her to the opening. "Careful, you gotta go down a ladder. It's about 20 feet," he cautioned.

Elena knelt down feeling her way to the opening. She placed her feet on the top rung and began to creep down. Gene pulled the rug over the top of the trapdoor so that the material would cover the hatch when it was closed. He looked down the ladder and saw that Elena was far enough down for him to begin climbing. Pulling the hatch closed behind him, he made his way to the cement floor below them.  
  
Guiding Elena by her elbow, he led her down the dank tunnel. They zigzagged through a network of connected tunnels until Elena had completely lost her bearings. They arrived at a solid metal door. Gene knocked and waited.  
  
A voice from inside the room answered the knock. "Who's there?"  
  
"It's me, Gene. Tell Roth I got a new recruit."  
  
"...you brought a new recruit here?" The voice asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, common, let me in."  
  
"Roth is going to have your butt, boy..." warned the voice as various locks were opened. "Why don't you go stick him in a cell while you talk to Roth?"  
  
"Fine. Get me a key. Oh, it's a 'she' Lou," agreed Gene.  
  
"You had just better know what you're doing..." Lou handed him a key ring.  
  
The AGP underground hideout had a long tunnel leading to a room with a jail cell in it. Remembering that the cell had a person in it, he quickly opened the door and shoved Elena through it, not wanting to be the cause of a jail break. He pulled the door shut and locked it. "Don't worry, Elena. I won't be long. This is just for security purposes."  
  
Elena heard him lock the cell door and then the tunnel door. Deciding it was safe enough to take her blindfold off, she pulled it down around her neck and looked around.  
  
The cell was a small ten by ten foot room, surrounded by concrete on three sides and metal bars in the front. There was a metal toilet and metal sink in the corner, a small mattress and pillow, and...another person?

"...Hello?" Elena cautiously called out, slightly startled.  
  
Sure enough, the person's head lifted up. Elena gasped as she stared at the girl. "...Who are you?" Elena questioned with a feeling that she already knew the answer.  
  
The girl looked at Elena blankly. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hands, she ignored the question. "Did they kidnap you too?"  
  
"Well, no, not really. They kidnapped you?" Elena gently prodded, trying to get the girl to answer her first question.  
  
The girl simply nodded as large tears rolled off her cheeks.  
  
"Do you live around here?"  
  
The girl shook her head. "No, I was staying with my uncle, and I was in the guest house and the door opened and these guys were there and they grabbed me and..."

The girl ran on and on half hysterical. Elena sat down by her. It was definitely Rene Shinra. She desperately wanted to tell the girl who she was and she would be rescued, but she knew that the cell was most likely bugged. She bit her lip and patted the girl's leg.

"You'll be okay. Just don't make these guys mad. It'll be fine. I promise." Elena whispered the last part Rene's ear. Just then, she heard footsteps walking towards the cell room. Elena leapt up and half ran to the other side of the cell, pulling up her blindfold. The outside door opened and Gene entered.  
  
"Alright, Elena. Showtime. The boss wants to see what you got." called Gene as he opened the cell door and led Elena out.  
  
"You can take that blindfold off now."  
  
Elena pulled the cloth over her head and handed it to Gene. "Thanks."  
  
They came back to the large metal door. After knocking, Lou opened up the door again, letting Elena and Gene into a small room with a folding chair and another door in the back. Lou resumed his position on the folding chair after locking the door back up and nodded toward the other door. "Roth is waiting right through there."  
  
The two let themselves into Roth's office and took a seat in front of a large desk. Roth was in his mid forties, with graying hair and intense eyes. He looked Elena up and down and leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "...Elena. I hear from Gene here you're quite the shot. Tell me about this small group you have."  
  
Elena didn't miss a beat. "There's really not many of us; just five. We're anti-Shinra, anti-mako reactors, and are willing to do anything to stop them. We have equipment, just not enough man power to make a difference."  
  
Roth swiveled his chair side to side. "And where are these other five?"  
  
"I didn't bring them. As the leader of the group, I felt it my responsibility to check out your operation first."  
  
"And what do you think of my operation?"  
  
"If I hadn't been blindfolded, I might be able to answer that better, but you do seem very efficient and organized."  
  
Roth laughed out loud. "You're a blunt one, aren't you?" He sat up in his chair and set his hands on his desk, suddenly very serious. "Where are you staying?"  
  
Elena shifted in her seat. "I just got here today...probably at an inn."  
  
"Did you bring anything with you?"  
  
Gene answered for her. "It's upstairs."  
  
Roth looked at him. "Go have someone take it to the temp quarters." He turned to Elena. "You can stay there for time being. That way, I can keep an eye on you, and you observe our faction all you wish. However, I do have a job for you. I want you on top of the roof across the street every night. I already have one of my best shooters up there, but he can make sure you...do your job. I want you back here by eight o'clock. Gene will show you to your quarters now."  
  
Elena followed Gene back out and around the winding tunnels. Gene stopped at a wooden door with an armed guard patrolling the tunnel. "Here you go. That's Zing," he pointed out the guard. "If you need anything, ask him. You'll have to stay here until eight, I'm afraid. Someone will come and get you then."  
  
Elena nodded and entered the room. She snapped on the light, filling the room with bright fluorescent light. She walked over to the bed and waited for her luggage to come. A few minutes later, a knock came from her door and a man she did not recognize handed Elena her two bags. Closing her door, she pulled the pager from her pocket and turned it on. Typing frantically, she sent a page to her boss.  
  
Dr. Com had called Tseng earlier that morning, saying the lab tests were complete. There were no fingerprints or any other traces of Rene Shinra's kidnappers. However, Dr. Com had analyzed the paper and confirmed that it was paper specifically from Garin.  
  
Tseng sat at the head of a large conference table with Rude and Reno, trying to work out some sort of game plan.  
  
He looked at Rude and Reno, silently asking them if they had any ideas. Neither one of them answered. The three sat in silence until Tseng suddenly jumped in his chair. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pager. "It's from Elena."  
  
Both Rude and Reno looked up, waiting to hear what it said. Tseng's eyes scanned over the page before clearing his throat. "It says 'In. Am sniper. All underground. Am guarding entrance at night with someone else. Found her. Okay. Number unknown. Know of 7 so far. E.'" Tseng quickly transferred Elena's page to the pad of paper in front of him. After he finished, he looked up.  
  
Reno was the first to speak up. "So there are seven for sure...."  
  
Tseng shook his head. "She's only been there a few hours. We need to wait until she can make a better estimate."  
  
Rude looked at the message on the paper. "She's a sniper in front of the building, but she has a partner, so we can't contact her in person."  
  
Tseng sat deep in thought. "...'all underground'..." he repeated. Suddenly he stood up. "Garin must have city plans. If we get those, Reeve might be able to help us. We might be able to find another way in."  
  
Rude stood up. "The Shinra archive has city blueprints for all the cities where there are reactors. I'll go get them."  
  
Tseng nodded. "Good. I'll go find Reeve. Meet us back here. Reno, page back Elena and ask if she knows which building is the main entrance to their headquarters."  
  
Rude and Tseng left, leaving Reno by himself in the large conference room. He picked up the pager and punched in his message, cursing loudly as his fingers ended up mashing the buttons surrounding the one he was really trying to press. Finally, he picked up Tseng's pen and used the tip to punch in his message. Sending it, he set the pager back down and waited for the answer.  
  
Reno didn't wait long. Five minutes after he sent his page, the pager slid across the table as it vibrated. He picked it up and wrote down the message: "Small shack. Near center of city. Next door to a materia shop. E."  
  
Just then, Rude entered with a large piece of blue paper rolled up under his arm. He laid the blueprint on the table and smoothed it out.  
  
"So that's Garin, huh?" pondered Reno.  
  
"That's Garin. Tseng back yet?"  
  
"Nope. But Elena just paged with more information." He scrawled the new page under the first one on Tseng's notepad and slid it over to Rude.  
  
As Rude tried to make out the messy handwriting, Reeve and Tseng entered the room.  
  
Reeve sat in a chair and pulled the city plans in front of him. "So what am I looking for?"  
  
"Elena said it's a small shack in the middle of the city. It's next door to a materia shop."  
  
Reeve ran his finger across the blueprint as he scanned the paper. His finger stopped near the center and he tapped the spot a few times while clumsily reaching for the highlighter in his pocket. Making a yellow circle, he looked up at the three Turks. "This is probably the place. This block, right here, is a material shop, and this block is a little smaller, so I assume this is the 'small shack' she's talking about."  
  
Tseng, Reno and Rude peered down at the paper. "Where would be the best place for a sniper to guard the entrance of that shack?" Tseng pondered out loud.  
  
Reeve continued to stare down at the city plan. "Probably from the top of a building across the street. My guess would be this one." He pointed to the square opposite the shack. "Not only would that give a sniper a head on shot, it's also the top of some sort of factory, which would be taller than the other one-story buildings on either side." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the Turks. "That's about all I can tell you for now. There's no way to know how big or how far this underground tunnel goes."  
  
Tseng nodded. "Thank you, at least we have a little bit better idea of where we need to be."  
  
Reeve walked to the door. "Anytime. Just call me if you need anything else."  
  
The three sat back down and mentally went over the situation again. Reno looked up. "Hey, we know there are two snipers up there, and we know there they are, why don't we just snipe the snipers? We could use a tranquilizer gun on Elena, and Tseng, you could take out the other one, no problem."  
  
Tseng looked at Reno. "That's not a bad idea, Reno. But, we're still going to have to wait until we're better informed of how many we're up against."


	6. Chapter 6

Fifteen minutes before eight o'clock, Zing had knocked at Elena's door and escorted her to a small armory. Roth was already there waiting. He smiled as Elena walked in.  
  
"I wasn't sure what kind of rifle you were most comfortable with, so I figured you could pick it out yourself." He gestured with his arm to the rack of weapons behind him.  
  
Elena walked over and scanned the gun rack. Settling on a model that was pretty close to the gun issued by Shinra, she tapped the barrel of the weapon with her finger. "This one will work."  
  
Roth handed her the gun and turned to go through a large box. He tossed a small box of ammo and a pair of night vision goggles to her.

"Rohan is our sharpshooter. He's stationed across the street. You'll join him and help him take out any unauthorized people that try to enter the shack. You'll know the authorized people when you see them. When you look at them through these," he pointed to the goggles "you'll notice the hems of their pants glow a bright green. There's a special band of aluminum bonded with a fluorine compound that reacts to the type of light the goggles transmit – but you really don't need to know that. Just know anyone without that glowing band needs to be...taken care of. You can wear this bracelet for now until we can outfit your clothes. Your radio is up with Rohan already, he can fill you in on the rest."

He walked across the room and picked up a small paisley print bag. "All our weapons disassemble. Break it down and take it up in this."  
  
Elena twisted the muzzle off the gun and broke it down into various pieces and placed them in the bag. When she was done, Zing walked her out and took her upstairs. They walked across the street and Zing pointed at a fire escape.

"Up there." He handed the bag to Elena after she had climbed to the top of the first small landing, and then watched as she made her way up to the top.  
  
Elena threw the bag onto the cement roof and then hopped over the edge of the roof. She looked around the roof, but didn't see anyone; just numerous shadows. She put on the night vision goggles and inspected the area again. Sure enough, she saw the outline of a body, and two bright green hems. She walked over to the prone body and spoke up. "...Rohan?"  
  
Rohan took his attention off the street below him and looked at the stranger approaching, ready to whip his gun around lightning quick if need be, but then noticed the bright green band around the 'intruders' wrist. He reached over and picked up the extra walkie-talkie and handed it to Elena as she walked closer to him. "Keep it on channel 8. We use these when we need a clean-up."  
  
"Clean-up?"  
  
"The people assigned to dispose of the bodies."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
Elena unzipped the bag and put her rifle back together and assumed the classic sniper position next to Rohan. She was just about to try and weasel some information from him until she was interrupted by soft laughter from the street below. A teenage couple was strolling down the street, holding hands and laughing. They stopped a few yards away from the shack and pressed their bodies together. After a few minutes, Elena could see the girl break apart to whisper something to the boy. They looked around the street and began to head toward the shack. 'No, no! Don't!' Elena screamed to herself. It wouldn't be the first time she'd shot a person, but it would be the first time she'd killed a kid. Rohan nudged her with his elbow. "You take the girl. Wait for my count."  
  
The couple was still strolling towards the shack, oblivious to the fate that awaited them. Only a few feet away from the steps, Elena heard Rohan. "Now."  
  
Elena already had the girl in her scope. She steadied her breath and pulled the trigger. Rohan's gun went off at almost the same time, and the two muffled 'pangs' resounded through the night air.  
  
Using the scope of her rifle to magnify the image, Elena looked at her work. Right on target. She could see the hole the bullet had made on the girl's temple. Feeling sick, she quickly looked away. Rohan calmly picked up the radio next to him and called the 'clean-up crew'. In a matter of seconds, two dark clad figures with the telltale green bands picked the couple up by the ankles and dragged them away.  
  
She desperately wanted to start some sort of conversation with Rohan, but knew that if the group was going to take her seriously as a sniper, she had to stay quiet and focused. Trying not to think about what she had just done, Elena watched the street through the goggles for the rest of the night.  
  
Elena and Rohan were finally allowed to leave early the next morning. Snipers weren't needed in the day; AGP had a few people conveniently posted out in front.  
  
Elena went back to her room and flopped on the bed, completely drained. It wasn't long before she fell into a troubled sleep.  
  
A few hours later, she awoke to a loud knock on her door. Rolling of the bed, she answered the door. It was Roth.  
  
"Nice work last night."  
  
Elena shook the sleep off and composed herself. "Told you I'm a good shot."  
  
Roth laughed. "...Have you had breakfast yet?"  
  
Elena shook her head.  
  
"Lunch?"  
  
She shook her head again. "Nope. But at least I have an appetite worked up."  
  
Roth smiled and held his arm out. "Good, because it's happy hour at my favorite restaurant," He winked as Elena wound her arm though his.  
  
During lunch with Roth, Elena had managed to get quite a bit of information out or Roth. The AGP leader was undoubtedly Roth and the group had been around for quite some time. Roth had been somewhat hesitant when she asked how many people the group had. He danced around the question by saying something about 'less than we'd anticipated at this point' and turned the conversation back to Elena's 'group'.  
  
"I do believe you said something about getting us more weapons. As could tell from last night, we are in need of more arms."  
  
A light bulb went on in Elena's head. Why not have one of the other Turks pose as the weapon shop owner? She thought briefly about any negative consequences the suggestion might have. She didn't see what harm could be done and spoke up. "Yup. In fact, I was thinking about having him come out here. He could bring us whatever we need."  
  
Roth nodded. "We need more of everything. And ammo. The sooner, the better. I assume he can also be trusted...?"  
  
"One of my best," Elena confirmed.  
  
The two finished their lunch and walked back. Elena headed to her quarters to page Tseng.  
  
Tseng had been pouring himself a much needed cup of coffee when the pager in his inside coat pocket started to vibrate. Narrowly avoiding spilling the hot liquid on him, he set his cup down and took out the pager.  
  
"Need fake weapon store owner. Send with guns and ammo. Can't confirm number. Meet tomorrow at South entrance noon. E"  
  
Tseng stared at the message, aghast. What was Elena thinking? Rude, Reno and himself didn't exactly blend into a crowd easily. Rude was at least a foot taller than anyone he knew, Reno had that hair, and Tseng had his trademark dot. Tseng rubbed his temples and yelled for the other two to sit down. Rude and Reno waltzed in and sat on a couch as Tseng explained the Elena's message to them.  
  
"We can't not go and leave her hanging. The least conspicuous looking one of us will have to go to Garin," Tseng finished.  
  
The three stared at one another, trying to figure out that last part. At last, Reno spoke up.

"That's definitely Rude. Take off the glasses, put on a wig, get some new clothes...you got yourself a whole new person."  
  
Rude was about to protest until Tseng cut in. "I think he's right, Rude. I don't think I've even seen you without that suit and the glasses."  
  
Not one to disobey orders - even indirect orders, Rude complied.  
  
After an afternoon of shopping for new clothes, and picking up some unlabeled guns and ammo to bring with him, Rude was ready to fly out to Garin.  
  
Elena had been getting ready to go back up to the top of the factory when her pager went off. She stifled a laugh as she read that Rude would be there the next morning. It did make sense, she guessed. Even with his stature, no one but his mom would recognize him without the standard Turk issue blue suit. She cleared the message from the pager and stuck it back in her pocket. As she walked out the door, she bumped into Roth. "Evening," he greeted her.  
  
"Hey, Roth."  
  
"...Aren't you forgetting something?" He pointed at her wrist.  
  
"Oops! Not much of a jewelry person, I guess," Elena laughed as she headed back to her quarters to get the metal bracelet. She came out a few seconds later with it on.  
  
"Well, I'd better get up there," she excused herself and headed toward the ladder with her gun in the paisley bag.  
  
Roth shook his head. She would defiantly be an asset to AGP, even though she could be a little...forgetful. He walked into her room, and knelt by the bag she had brought. Grabbing the shorts and pants that she had brought, he was about to leave to have the metal inserted in the hem when a piece of paper caught his eye. Not so much the paper, but the logo on the paper; it was the Shinra Electric Company logo.  
  
Roth dropped the clothes to the floor and read the note.  
  
"Elena- Yesterday in the elevator, I meant to apologize for some of the things I've said to you during the past few weeks. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, ever. I never really had a family, and I guess I kind of adopted you as the little sister I never had. Good luck, and be careful. It would be too much trouble to have to go out and find another surrogate little sister. Your hunk of flaming hotness, Reno. P.S. If you ever mention this letter to anyone, I will hunt you down."  
  
Reno...that name sounded familiar. He placed the clothes back like he'd found them and took the note back to his office. He had a bit of research to do.  
  
As Lou opened the metal door leading to his office, Roth stopped to look at him. "Hey Lou, the name 'Reno' ring any bells?"  
  
Lou looked at Roth questioningly. Roth held up the note for him to see.  
  
"Shinra? That's gotta be that Turk!"  
  
'That's it!' Thought Roth. He nodded at Lou. "Thanks. I think Elena and her friend are going to get a little surprise tomorrow..."


	7. Chapter 7

Rude sat on the plane, lazily watching the speckled ground below him. He was never fond of undercover missions; he preferred a straight fight, face to face.

Even worse than the undercover mission itself was the outfits that Tseng had picked out for him. He looked down at his outfit – loose, beige cargo shorts, a white ribbed tank top, the blue sneakers...and a hat. A _hat._He knew he looked ridiculous. Tall, hulking Shinra employees just did not look right in grungy clothes.  
  
Earlier that morning, Reno had stopped by his house to pick him up. Carpooling that day had been Reno's idea. When Rude asked him for his reason, Reno had just laughed. "And miss you all dressed up like a hippy? Not a chance!"  
  
Even Tseng had trouble hiding his smile when the pair walked in. It was one thing seeing Rude without his trusty sunglasses plastered to his face. It was another thing seeing him dressed up like a teenager. After a few quick instructions, and Tseng had sent Rude on his way.  
  
Rude looked back out at the sky, squinting. "I miss my sunglasses..."  
  
Elena had been getting dressed when she heard a knock at the door. "Just a minute!" she called.  
  
Opening the door, she saw Roth standing there. "You ready to go?"  
  
"Sure am!"  
  
Roth waited as Elena closed the door behind her. "So...what's this guy's name, anyway?"  
  
Elena thought. 'Rude? No, how many Rudes are out there? Not many...um, um, um...' she desperately searched her mind for a suitable name.  
  
"His name is Rudy."  
  
'Rudy?? He's gonna kill you...' Elena thought, warily.  
  
"Rudy, huh? Well, I hope he brought some good stuff with him."  
  
"You can count on it."  
  
They walked through the town and waited at the southern entrance. As Elena looked across the distant land, Roth glanced behind him, making sure Rohan was in his spot.  
  
Rude had been walking for a while, and his hand was starting to get tired from dragging the bag of arms and ammo. Shifting the duffle bag on his shoulder that contained some more 'Tseng approved clothes', he passed the gun bag to his other hand and continued walking.  
  
After a while, he could see two figures in the distance. 'That has to be them,' he thought. Sure enough, once he got a little closer, he saw Elena wave brightly as she shouted out, "Hi, Rudy!!"  
  
? Did she just call me 'Rudy'?' He winced at the horrible name. Swallowing whatever pride he retained while wearing the absurd outfit, he waved back.  
  
He walked up to them, and the other person stepped up and reached out his hand. "Hello, Rudy. I'm Roth. Pleasure to meet you. Let's see what you've brought..."  
  
Rude bent down and to open up the bag. Roth seized the opportunity and pulled out the hypodermic needle out of his coat pocket. He plunged it into Rude's back, as Rohan simultaneously fired a tranquillizer dart at Elena. The two Turks blacked out instantly and slithered to the ground.  
  
In a few minutes, a small buggy had driven up. Tossing the two bodies into the back, Roth and drove back to AGP headquarters, ready to do some interrogating.  
  
Rude slowly opened his eyes, still very groggy from the shot Roth had given him. Looking around, he tried to make out where he was through blurry eyes. Some type of cell maybe? It had to be. There were three cement walls, one wall made out of strong metal bars, a small sink and toilet, another person...'Is that Elena? No, it's not...it's...oh no...it can't be...oh please, don't let it be...'  
  
The person in the corner sniffed and looked up. Rude cleared his throat. "Are you Rene Shinra?"  
  
The emotionally drained girl looked blankly at her new cell mate, and then burst into tears. Rude pressed his temples and sighed.

"..."


	8. Chapter 8

Elena lifted her head, finally coming out of her groggy, drug-induced slumber. She went to brush some loose strands of hair out of her face, but couldn't raise her hands. Looking down, she found her arms handcuffed behind her, and her ankles tied to the legs of the chair.

 'What happened? Where's Rude? Please let him be alright...' she wearily thought.  
  
The door to the small room opened, and Roth entered, holding a piece of paper in his hands.

"You must have thought we were a bunch of idiots." He stopped right in front of Elena and unfolded the note.  
  
"Did you miss 'Undercover 101' when you went through your Turk training?"  
  
"Turk training?"  
  
"Please. I'm not stupid. I know who you are, and I know who your 'friend' is, so don't think for a minute you can bluff your way out of this one."  
  
"...Where is he?"  
  
"I really don't think you're in any position to be asking me questions. But he is alive - for now. We'll interrogate him later. But right now, it's your turn." Roth grinned evilly at Elena.

"I'm sure you know all about 'interrogating'. There's an easy way, and a hard way. If you're smart, you'll choose the former. Now, is Shinra going to take down the reactor or not?"  
  
Elena stared at her lap. 'Ugg, Tseng...what do I do?' she thought.  
  
"Elena," called Roth in a sing-song voice "It's a 'yes' or 'no' question."  
  
"...Just give Rene back. You have two Turks now. You can negotiate with the president using us instead of her."  
  
Roth laughed. "I don't think so! She's worth more to us than ten Turks! You guys are expendable to Shinra."  
  
Elena hung her head in silence.  
  
"Tch, Elena...you really did have me fooled. I think I almost had feelings for you, so you can imagine how hard this will be for me." Roth pulled out a taser and flicked it on. Two bright bolts of blue electricity danced on the tips of the metal probes. Elena's eyes widened as she watched Roth hold the device dangerously close to her neck.  
  
"Elena, I'm not going to ask again...I want a straight answer from you. What does Shinra plan to do with the reactors?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Sorry Elena. Wrong answer." He pressed the taser to her neck, and winced as Elena's painful cry filled the room.  
  
Reno had been pacing the office for close to twenty minutes. Tseng set down his pen and looked up.  
  
"What's wrong, Reno?"  
  
Reno stopped and walked over to Tseng's desk, half sitting on the edge of it. "I dunno, I just have this...this..."  
  
Tseng cocked his head as he searched for a word. "Feeling? Intuition? Hunch? Inkling? Suspicion? Notio-"  
  
"Whoa, whoa...thank you, Mr. Thesaurus...yeah, I guess it's a hunch. I just...I mean...oh screw this! I need a drink."  
  
Tseng grabbed Reno's arm, stopping him. "I told Rude to call me tonight. Unless we don't get a page, there's no cause to worry."  
  
Reno scowled as he nodded. How Tseng was always so calm was beyond him. Especially considering the amount of caffeine he pumped into his system.  
  
"...Please stop crying..." Rude begged. Rene had been wailing for some time. Rene looked up at him, sniffling. "I just want to go home..."  
  
Rude felt a slight twinge of compassion for her...very slight. He hadn't forgotten the torture she had put him through back in the slums. Even though he really wasn't one to hold a grudge, he honestly thought Rene Shinra to be one of the most unpleasant people he knew.  
  
Rene continued to stare at Rude. "You...you picked me up at the train station, didn't you?"  
  
'Great, now all I'll hear about is how one of her uncle's Turks got caught...' thought Rude. "Yeah, it was me."  
  
Rene looked down at her bare feet. "...You guys all hate me, huh?"  
  
Her last question threw Rude for a loop. Unsure how to deal with an emotionally-wrought, unstable, pain-in-the-butt teenage girl, he went with what he thought was the best course of action: lying through his teeth.  
  
"We don't hate you. We barely even know you."  
  
Rene got up and plopped down next to Rude. She could read people in the business–like way just as well as her uncle or Rufus could. "It's okay. Everyone hates me. I deserve this..."  
  
Rude tried to scoot away from her inconspicuously. "Don't worry...just try to save your strength."  
  
Rude wondered what time it was. '...My pager, do I still have it?' he thought as he searched the numerous pockets on his cargo shorts. No luck. Anything he had in his pockets when he arrived had been confiscated.

Sighing, he leaned back against the wall and tried to think of a way to escape.  
  
Reno had his feet propped up on the desk as he added on to his paperclip chain. Tseng sat at his desk, typing up another report for President Shinra. The two sat in silence until Tseng looked up at the clock.  
  
'Hmm, Rude should be paging me any minute now,' Tseng thought. He looked at Reno, who was still carefully stringing paperclips to one another.  
  
"You know, if you keep that up, the supplies department is going to start charging you for paperclips."  
  
Reno looked up from the chain. "Huh? Nah, I get these from Heidegger's desk," he grinned.  
  
"You don't have to wait here, Reno. You can go home if you want."  
  
Reno shook his head. "As soon as you get that page, I'm outta here."  
  
Rene had been squirming next to Rude for a while now.  
  
"...Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
Rene blushed as she stood up and walked to the bars. Cleaning her throat, she began to yell for a guard at the top of her lungs. Rude propped an elbow on his knee and rested his chin in his hand, waiting for her to stop.  
  
A few minutes later, a man opened the outside door and walked up to the bars in front of Rene. "Hey, shut up in there, will 'ya?"  
  
Rene glared at him. "Can you take him out of here?" She nodded over to Rude.  
  
The guard looked at Rude and laughed. "I don't think so! Not unless I had five other guys with me..."

Suddenly he remembered who she was, and that Roth had specifically told everyone that he didn't want Rene Shinra hurt. "Wait, why do you want him out? "  
  
Rene dropped her voice so low that Rude couldn't make it out. When she finished talking, the guard let out a hearty laugh.

"If you'll direct your attention over there," he pointed "you will find the lovely bathroom we have so graciously provided you with." With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.  
  
Rene dropped her hands to her sides. She was miserable and desperate. "Turn around...please!"  
  
Rude stood up and pressed his head in the corner of the wall, waiting for her to finish. 'Does this count as torture? Maybe I'll get a Workman's Comp out of this,' Rude thought.  
  
Reno could see Tseng was getting a little more anxious. He had run out of paperclips long ago. "Tseng, man, I don't like this."  
  
Tseng looked up from the pager sitting on his desk. "I don't like it either. I think we should start packing."  
  
Reno jumped up and grabbed his electo-mag rod and flipped it up in the air, catching it behind his back. "This is all the Reno-man needs...let's go whoop some environmentalist butt, Tseng!"  
  
"Reno, go pack some clothes. Preferably clean ones, this time."


	9. Chapter 9

Tseng sat on the plane, looking over the blueprint of Garin. Reno sat next to him, thumping the end of his electro-mag rod into the web of his hand.  
  
"So, what's the plan, Tseng?"  
  
Tseng looked up. "I'm really not sure. First things first, we need to take care of the snipers on the roof. Then, we'll just have to take things as they come."  
  
Reno sat back in his chair. 'At least this is more exciting than my paperclip chain...'  
  
Rude drummed his fingers on the cement floor, wondering when Tseng and Reno would decide to make their move.  
  
"Ugg! Stop! You're driving me crazy!" cried Rene.  
  
Rude stopped and looked up, very much tempted to keep drumming just to annoy her, but decided against it.  
  
Rene sighed. The silence was just as bad as Rude drumming his fingers. "You know any jokes?" she finally asked.  
  
"...Not any ones I could tell you," said Rude, realizing Reno was the only person he heard jokes from.  
  
"Oh, come on. Not even a funny story?"  
  
Rude scratched the back of his head while he thought. "...Can't think of any...sorry."  
  
Rene leaned back against the wall. "Did you know that when Rufus was little, he stuck a piece of corn up his nose? My uncle had to take him to the emergency room to get it out."  
  
Rude cracked a smile and looked at Rene. "Really?"  
  
"Yup. He also got his head stuck in the banister back home, too."  
  
Rude laughed. "No more! I'm not going to be able to keep a straight face the next time I see him..."  
  
Under the cover of night, Tseng and Reno slipped into the city of Garin. They both had their standard blue suits on, and had powerful handguns tucked into their concealed holsters. Tseng carried a sniper rifle while Reno had the tranquilizer gun. And of course, Reno's trusty electro- mag rod was at his hip, held in place by his belt.  
  
Stealthy sneaking around the empty streets, Tseng looked at Reno.  
  
"The factory is down that next street. Let's go this way and try to find a good place to take out the snipers from."  
  
The two walked down the street, looking for a satisfactory place to shoot from, but all the buildings were shorter than the factory was.  
  
"I don't see a good spot," said Tseng. "It looks like were going to have to use the factory, too."  
  
Reno scratched his head. "How are we going to get up there without them seeing us?"  
  
Tseng shifted his weight in thought. "I need a distraction..."  
  
"Girls are always good."  
  
Tseng glared at Reno. "This is not the time, Reno." He pulled the blueprint out from his jacket. "I think I can get to the fire escape, but I need you to distract them while I climb it."  
  
"And I should go about this...how?"  
  
"Anyway you can. But you have to give me enough time to climb to the top of the building. We'll start from opposite ends of the street. When you see me get to the fire escape, that will be your signal."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Oh, give me the tranq gun, just in case."  
  
Reno handed the long rifle to Tseng and shrugged his shoulders up, trying to release some of the tension and anxiety. When Tseng had adjusted all his weapons, he nodded to Reno. "Alright, I'll meet you at the bottom of the factory."  
  
Reno gave a curt nod and walked to the end of the street, as Tseng walked to the other end. Reno came to the first building on corner and pressed his body around carefully. Sure enough, he could see Tseng creeping along towards the factory. At last, Tseng was just under the fire escape.

'Showtime,' thought Reno.  
  
Taking off his jacket so the white shirt would be more visible, he began to zip and zag through the street at top speed. When he got to the end, he looked around the corner. Tseng had made it to the top; now Reno just had to wait for the Turk leader to come back down.  
  
Tseng was crouched on the roof, right next to where the fire escape had ended. Shadows hid a good majority of the roof and rendered Tseng unable to see where the sniper was with his naked eyes. Raising his own rifle, he looked though the night-vision scope.

Scanning the area, he found only one person lying on their stomach in the darkest corner of the roof. Confirming to himself it wasn't Elena, he positioned the crosshairs on the snipers head and shot. The hefty silencer on Tseng's gun suppressed all but the tiniest 'tink!'.

He scrutinized the rooftop once more, and then headed over to the dead body. Tseng rummaged through the dead sniper's possessions and found a walkie-talkie. He slipped it into his pocket and climbed back down to see Reno running up to meet him.  
  
"Now what?" questioned Reno.  
  
"Now," said Tseng as he reached in his jacket pulling out his gun, "we take them as they come."


	10. Chapter 10

Reno stood behind Tseng, watching as he carefully opened up the door to the shack. After he'd calmly searched the area, Tseng entered.  
  
"The headquarters is underground...the entrance should be on the floor, right?" Reno questioned.  
  
"That would make the most sense...ah!" Tseng flung a small rug aside with the tip of his shoe, revealing a circular, metal hatch with an impressive looking lock. Kneeling on the floor, Tseng studied the combination lock carefully, listening to the different sounds in made as he twisted the dial. After a few tries, his trained ear deciphered the combination, and unlocked the hatch.

As silently as he could, he lifted the metal door open and peered down. "I don't see anyone so far...let's go."  
  
Reno followed Tseng down the ladder and took in the surroundings. "I feel like I'm in an ant farm...split up?"  
  
Tseng thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll head up this way. Try to take anyone out as quietly as you can. Once we have Elena, Rude, and the president's niece, we're done."  
  
'Like I couldn't have figured out that one,' thought Reno. "Yes, sir."  
  
Reno's hand grasped the electro-mag rod as he quietly made his way down one of the tunnels. Further down, the tunnel branched into three different directions. 'Eenie, meanie, miney, mo...'  
  
He chose the left path and continued walking, checking over his shoulder every so often. At the end, there was one door. Deciding the gun was a better surprise attack weapon, he holstered the rod and gripped the handle of his gun.

He pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear if there were people in the room. After a few seconds, he figured either the door was too thick to hear anything, or there was no one in the room. He hoped for the latter. He twisted the door handle gently, testing to see if it was locked. It was, and to Reno's dismay, someone was in the room.  
  
"Who's there?" asked a male voice from inside the room.  
  
Reno mentally cursed; he was too far inside the tunnel to make a break for it. Instead, the trained his weapon in the middle of the door, and smiled as he called in his best falsetto, "It's just me!"  
  
A few seconds later, the door opened. In a flash, Reno squeezed the trigger on the gun, and a body fell to the floor with a dull thud. After quickly checking behind his back, Reno pulled the body back into the room and shut the door behind him.

Patting down the corpse, Reno went through all the contents in the pockets. 'Bingo!' he thought, finding a large set of keys. He put them in his own pocket and continued looking. There was nothing else, except for a piece of paper. Reno unfolded it and started to read, his eyes growing wide as he quickly recognized it as the note he had left for Elena.  
  
"Oh, no..."  
  
Elena woke up. 'What happened?' she thought.  
  
As she went to sit up, a sharp pain spread throughout her neck. Elena winced, realizing she was feeling the bruising where Roth had tortured her with his taser. Lying back down, she rolled her eyes around the room. It wasn't the same one she had been interrogated in. Someone had moved her. As she began to wonder if Rude was enduring what she had, she heard a voice. Using every ounce of strength and willpower she had left, she leaned up on her elbows and tried to determine where she had heard the voice from. There was a small beaded curtain separating the room she was in and another one. 'Probably the room Roth interrogated me...' she thought.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a silenced gun going off. Unconsciously, Elena blanched in fear as she sat as still as she possibly could. Listening, she thought she made out a set of keys jingling and then a few more scuffling sounds. It went quiet again until she heard someone softly moan "Oh, no..."  
  
'That voice...Reno?' Elena's mind was a blur. She was unsure if she should remain still, feigning unconsciousness in case it was just another AGP member, or call out. In the end, her curiosity got the best of her. "...R- Reno?"  
  
Tseng dashed quickly through the tunnels, making almost no noise. He reached a corner and stopped. Tightening his grip on the gun, he cautiously peeked around the corner. Another empty tunnel with a large metal door. Tseng sighed, wondering if he should try and get through the door or continue on down the tunnel. In the back of his mind, he thought it best to try and scope out the area before making any rash moves. Sneaking quietly past the door, he made his way further into the web of tunnels.  
  
"They aren't planning on tearing down the reactor, are they?" asked Rene.  
  
Rude shifted uncomfortably. "I dunno." He lied.  
  
Rene sighed. "I try so hard to please my uncle. I try to do things they way I think he would do them, say things I think he would say...do you think they would tear it down if it were Rufus instead of me?"  
  
Rude kept his mouth shut. 'What on earth do I say to that?' he thought.  
  
Rene turned away. "No answer is just as good as a 'yes'."  
  
"I really can't say for sure what your uncle would do if it was Rufus instead of you, but I'd be willing to make a safe bet he still wouldn't tear down the reactor."  
  
Rene chewed her thumbnail. "Yeah, you're probably right," she whispered softly.  
  
Rude stared at her. "Knowing that, you still try as hard as you can to act like him?"  
  
"Why shouldn't I? Look at him! He has everything! He's got more money just lying around his office then you'll probably ever see in your lifetime..."  
  
"I'd quote the old saying 'money isn't everything'…"  
  
"You know what? Forget I ever brought it up! It's bad enough being stuck in here with one of my uncle's stupid Turks...I don't need a lecture on top of that."  
  
With that, Rene flounced over to the opposite corner of the cell and sat down.  
  
Rude shook his head and sighed before falling asleep against the wall.


	11. Chapter 11

Reno stared at the note in his hand. 'Oh no…this isn't what blew her cover...is it?' he silently prayed.  
  
His mind went back to the night he had written the note, in hopes of telling Elena why he acted the way he did, and that despite the things he said and did to her, she really did mean a lot to him.

And now, from the looks of things, his attempted confession had gotten two of his best friends captured. Reno broke out in a cold sweat, beginning to fear the worst. As he stood up, he heard a soft voice.  
  
"R-Reno?"  
  
Looking in the direction of the voice, Reno saw a small beaded curtain and carefully peered through it. In the back of the small room was a cot. It took him less than a second to recognize the figure sprawled on the small bed.  
  
Reno half-sprinted the short distance to the cot and kneeled down beside Elena. Elena opened her eyes and smiled. "Reno! It is you!"  
  
Reno looked at the weary smile on Elena's tired face, and his eyes wandered down to her neck. It was grotesquely swollen and had mean, dark bruises...it looked extremely painful. Pushing the feeling of guilt to the back of his mind, Reno smiled weakly back at her as he stood up and offered Elena his hand. "...Yeah, yeah, it's me...Are you okay?"  
  
Cringing as Reno pulled her to her feet, she tried to nod, but the bruising on her neck quickly protested. "I'll be alright."  
  
He placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her before they walked back out, into the main room.  
  
"Who's this guy?" he asked, kicking the dead body.  
  
Elena glanced down, face grim. "That was the leader of AGP."  
  
Reno grinned. "Hey, score two points for Reno! That should buy us some time, at least. Do you know where Rene and Rude are?" As much as he knew Elena needed –and deserved- more rest, Reno knew they had to get a move on.  
  
Elena thought. "I know where Rene should be there too. Let's just hope I can still remember my way around this place."  
  
They walked out, locking the door behind them. As they got further up the tunnel to where it began to branch, Elena stopped in thought.  
  
"I'm pretty sure it's this way..."  
  
As they began to walk down one of the branches, a door opened and a man stepped out. In a split second, Reno had his gun trained on the man's head.  
  
Elena recognized the man. It was Zing. She knew he was an excellent fighter, and could put up a good struggle, even without a gun. Without taking his eyes or his gun off the man, Reno reached into his pocket and tossed the key ring to Elena. "Go get 'em, Lena. I'll take care of this."  
  
Elena caught the keys in the air and jogged down the hall as fast as she could without disturbing her neck too much. Seeing the door at the end, she desperately hoped it was the jail cell door. Not quite sure what to do, she knocked. No answer.  
  
'That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do,' thought Elena as she began trying keys. After the fourth key, she finally found the right one, and the door clicked open.  
  
Rude sighed as he uncrossed and crossed his legs for what seemed like the billionth time. He was bored, and had just about given up on his plan to escape. Just then, he heard a light knock at the door. Rene's head shot up and she looked at Rude questioningly.

He shook his head, motioning for her to remain quiet. He quietly stood up as he heard keys being tried in the door.  
  
"I think we're out of here," noted Rude.  
  
"...What makes you think that?"  
  
"How many guards knock before they come in? Or don't know which key to use?"  
  
Just then, the door opened and Elena stepped in. "Ta-da!" she triumphantly cried.  
  
"Elena! How did you get the keys? Are the others here?" Rude suddenly noticed the dark bruises on her neck. "...Are you okay?"  
  
As Elena systematically tried the keys on the ring to open the cell door, she answered him.  
  
"Reno found the keys. They were Roth's. He's dead..."  
  
Rude just nodded in response as the jail cell was opened. As Rude exited the cell, Elena tried to shut the door on Rene.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing? I'm the one you're rescuing, remember??" Rene loudly protested.  
  
Elena looked at her. "I know, but you'll be safer in here until we're ready to leave. Reno and I already ran into one guard."  
  
"No, no way. I am NOT staying here any longer!" cried Rene as she forced her way out of the cell and ran out the door.  
  
For a second, Rude and Elena were stunned. They quickly regained their composure and ran out into the hall. It was empty.  
  
Rude's hands clenched in frustration. Elena looked at him. "The tunnel branches out further down. Should we split up?"  
  
Rude looked at Elena. "There's no way you could fight like that," he pointed to her neck.  
  
Elena held up the keys. "There's an armory somewhere down here..."  
  
Rude thought for a second. The more time they spent not looking for Rene, they further away she got. But then again, it wouldn't be any use if he and Elena were dead.  
  
"Alright, hurry though," Rude agreed.  
  
Gene hummed as he walked to the interrogation room, carrying two dinners. It was his 'day off' and he was looking forward to spending time with Roth. The two had become good friends in the past few weeks. He stopped at the door and knocked. After a few seconds, he knocked again. Still no answer. Gene wouldn't just leave like this.  
  
'Something's wrong...'  
  
He dropped the bag of food he was carrying and went to grab his gun. He looked down at the empty holster. He cursed, realizing he hadn't grabbed his gun this morning.  
  
He ran back down the hall towards the armory to equip himself.  
  
Reno stared nails at the guard, almost daring him to try anything. The guard didn't let him down. In the blink of an eye, he had jumped and done an impressive roundhouse kick in attempt to knock the gun away. But Reno was just as fast; he pulled his arm back and stepped to the side, trying to line his target.

As good as the guard was, he was no match for a Turk with a gun. Reno pulled the trigger, and the fight was over. As he searched the body for anything useful, he heard the sound of bare feet slapping down the cement floor. He looked up just in time to see a girl round the corner.

She stared briefly at the dead body on the floor and the gun in Reno's hand. Growing pale, her reflexes kicked in. Before Reno could even say anything to her, she screamed and kicked him in the groin and continued running down the hall, leaving Reno to writhe in pain.  
  
Tseng looked down the hall. It was littered with crates and boxes pushed aside to the wall. Re-gripping the handle of his gun, he carefully continued walking. Halfway down, he heard light footsteps running. Tseng dove behind a crate and waited for the person to pass. As the footsteps got closer, he edged out to get a better look. All of the sudden, a girl raced by.  
  
'...A girl? It's got to be...'  
  
Tseng leapt up and chased after the girl. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by the wrist, twisting her around so he could have a better look.  
  
"...Miss Shinra?" he questioned.  
  
"Let me go!!" She struggled wildly in attempt to break free.  
  
"How did you get out? Why are you alone?"  
  
Rene silently glared at him.  
  
Tseng sighed. "Alright, stay close to me, we'll be out of here soon."  
  
After a few wrong turns, Rude and Elena finally found the armory. Elena opened the door and tossed a handgun and some ammo to Rude before arming herself.  
  
"Alright, I'll take the north path, you take the other," instructed Rude.  
  
Just as Elena was about to reply, Rude hushed her and pushed her behind him. "Someone's coming," he said simply.  
  
The footsteps stopped and the door opened. Rude squeezed the trigger, cringing as he realized the gun was not equipped with a silencer. The shot rang out loudly, and the man fell to the floor. Rude pulled the body into the room and looked at Elena.

"...Ready?"  
  
Elena gazed at Gene's fallen body for a second more before replying. "...Yeah, let's get it over with."


	12. Chapter 12

Tseng walked, holding onto Rene's arm tightly. He quickly realized that if he wasn't, she would be gone in a heartbeat. Tseng prided himself on his ability to not be easily annoyed or disturbed, but, eventually, Rene began to grate on his nerves.  
  
"You don't know where we are, do you?" asked Rene icily.  
  
"I'm looking for my other three Turks."  
  
"Can you guys do anything without screwing up? Some of the stories Rufus tells me...I don't know why my uncle still pays you."  
  
Tseng stopped and pulled hard on Rene's arm, turning her to face him.  
  
"We found you, didn't we?"  
  
Rene scoffed and looked away as they continued. The hall they were in was shaped like a 'T'. Tseng debated whether to continue straight, or turn down the intersecting hallway. As he thought, his keen ears detected noise.

Just as he clamped a hand over Rene's mouth and pulled her and himself close to the wall, he heard a single gunshot.  
  
"Hey! We know you're down out...now!" warned a voice.  
  
Tseng carefully peeked around the corner as much as he dared. There were five guards, all armed with machine guns no more than fifteen feet away. He quickly pulled back as another bullet whizzed by his head.  
  
He dropped to his knee and equipped his own gun. Rene suddenly realized he was going to take on whoever was out there by himself.  
  
"Are you nuts? You can't –"  
  
Without thinking, Tseng whipped around and pointed the gun in Rene's face, his eyes flashing silent rage. "Stay there, and shut up," he commanded in a quiet and even voice.  
  
Rene, for once was speechless, as she mutely nodded in reply.  
  
Tseng went back to the problem at hand, his mind rapidly trying to determine what the best course of action would be.  
  
Muffled cursing escaped Reno's lips as he stood up in pain. "I cannot believe that just happened..."  
  
Fortunately for Reno, his cat-like reflexes had kicked in, just as Rene's had. When he realized she was going to kick him, he had swiveled slightly, so that his thigh would take most of the blow. But even then, he still hurt like heck.  
  
Reno looked around and saw the dead body still laying there. There was no acceptable hiding place for it, so he left it where it was. He sprinted down the hall, wondering where everyone else was. In the back of his mind, he questioned letting Elena go on ahead of him. He was still guilt ridden and angry with himself, but he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'Emotions are what cause you screw up missions,' he repeated to himself. That was one thing Tseng taught every Turk: Never to side with emotion over training and instinct.  
  
As he snaked and turned though the maze of tunnels, he heard a loud shot. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked around, weapon drawn and ready. There was no one in sight. Then he heard a voice yell. "Hey! We know you're down out...now!"  
  
He peered around the corner and down a long hallway. Halfway down, he saw the crouched figure of Tseng. He raced noiselessly down the hall to the other side of the intersection, receiving a grateful look from the Turk leader.  
  
"Five," mouthed Tseng.  
  
Reno nodded, eyes wide, as if to silently if Tseng had a plan.  
  
Tseng answered by cocking his gun and casting a stern look in Reno's direction.  
  
'Let's do it,' thought Reno.  
  
Tseng held up his hand and began to count on his finger. One...two...three.  
  
Simultaneously, Tseng and Reno pressed against the corner and began to pick off the guards while avoiding the machine gun fire.  
  
Rene squeezed her eyes shut as she placed her hands over her ears, trying to shut off her surroundings. She couldn't take much more of this. She dared to steal a peek and glanced up.

'There's no way they can be serious, they're going to get me killed! I'm better off on my own...' she thought.  
  
Before she could stop to think, she stood up and bolted past the bullet laden intersection, much to the dismay of Tseng.  
  
"Reno! Get her!" he yelled in between shots.  
  
Reno looked up and tried to grab the girl by the ankle, but he was a hair too late and just missed. He knew he should have gone after her, but he growled and continued shooting instead.  
  
Rude softly walked up to a corner and glanced around, making sure the path was clear. He had no idea where he was, or where he was trying to get to. Right now, he was just trying to find the girl and any one of his coworkers.  
  
'I'd rather be doing just about anything other than this,' he thought, creeping down the hall. 'If I just had my suit, it wouldn't be so bad...'  
  
As he wallowed in self pity, he heard footsteps in the distance. He quickly leapt back into the first hallway and readied his gun. As the steps got closer, he realized whoever was running was barefoot and crying...and just a few feet away. 'Why me?' he asked.

He stuck his arm out and caught the fleeing girl by the waist. She screamed, and soon had a large hand pressed on her face.  
  
"Do you want them to find us?" Rude asked in a rare display of sarcasm.  
  
The girl shook her head under Rude's hand.  
  
"...Do you know where any of the others are?" he pressed.  
  
Rene pointed to her mouth. Rude moved his hand away slightly, ready to silence her again if need be.  
  
"They're down that way, but there were a bunch of people shooting at us and-"  
  
"Who were you with?"  
  
"A guy with black hair and then a guy with red hair," she replied.  
  
Rude relaxed a little. Tseng was an amazing shot, and even with the odds against him, he almost always came out on top. Add to the fact Reno was with him, and they were certainly a force to be reckoned with. Knowing they were okay, his concern turned to Elena.  
  
"Have you seen a blonde woman, bout this high?" he placed his hand to a height that looked about right.  
  
Rene shook her head. "No, just the two..."  
  
He released the girl and started to say, "Don't run off again," but before he got the words out, Rene had darted down the hall.  
  
Rude resisted the urge to growl as he ran after her, again.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I've been pronouncing Rene as "Reen – Nay". I probably should have come up with a different name though considering there's like, what, 6 other characters whose names begin with an "R"? Bad me!

Tseng peered around the corner and surveyed their situation. As far as he could tell, he and Reno had taken out all the guards.

He quickly stood up and walked over to Reno. "You should have gone after the girl," he said firmly.

Reno gave his boss a disgusted look. "I followed my 'training and instinct', and that told me to stay put. So if you don't like how I handle situations, then don't lecture me about how we'll be fine as long as we follow them."

Tseng stared blankly at his comrade. Reno could definitely dish out attitude when he wanted to, but he rarely ever did. Instead, he used his wit and slew of insults to handle stress. Tseng could sense that something was wrong, but he knew there was no time to find out what. Instead, he calmly asked if Reno knew where Rude or Elena was.

Reno drew in a breath and shook his head. Running alongside Tseng, he focused on the task at hand. Everything else could be taken care of over a drink later…

Elena comforted her fears by squeezing the handle of the handgun she carried. She was in extreme pain, completely lost, and to top it off, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was scared.

As she walked, she realized she was passing Roth's office. The door was open and the room was empty. She entered the room and glanced around until her gaze fell on an old filing cabinet. She pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. Elena was about to search somewhere else before realizing she was still holding onto Roth's keys. The filing cabinet key had to be on there. Picking out a small, silver key that looked about the right size, she tried it. The locked clicked and the drawer opened.

Shoving the keys back into her pocket, she pulled out the few files that were housed in the cabinet. Elena beamed. Just as she had suspected, the files had everything she could possibly want: a list of all the members of AGP, minutes of previous meetings, and best of all, the map to the underground tunnel system.

Keeping the map out, She slid the rest of the folders into the waistband of her shorts for safekeeping, and then sat down to stare at the map and get her bearings straight.

As Rene turned the corner, she realized it was the same one she had just ran around before. And the time before that, and the time before that…

She stopped and turned to go the other way, which, she hoped, would lead her out of this mess. She saw an open door down the hall. There was nowhere else to go. The path she had just been down had gone nowhere but in circles. This was obviously the only was to get out. She got to her knees and put her head as low to the ground as possible to peer into the room.

There was a large desk and a blonde lady sitting behind it…wait! Rene knew that lady from somewhere…a few days ago they had been in the cell together, and then just a while ago, she had tried to keep her locked up in there! Rene stood up and marched in, ready to give the lady a piece of her mind.

Rude walked slowly and quietly, listening intensely for footsteps; either his coworker's or the enemy's, and, he supposed, Rene Shinra's. As he walked, he heard quiet whispering around the corner. Stopping and straining to hear, he quickly identified the voices as Tseng and Reno.

The two rounded the corner and were momentarily taken at the sight of Rude. Their hearts still pulsing fast in the fear that he might have been an enemy, both Reno and Tseng let out a sigh of relief after they realized it was just Rude.

"Where's Rene Shinra? Or Elena?" asked Tseng.

Rude shrugged. "Saw the girl just a while ago. I let go of her arm so I could ask her if she knew where Elena was, but as soon as I did that she was gone."

Tseng shook his head. "Well, I don't think it's wise for us to split up again after all the problems we had finding each other. I didn't expect the hideout to be so big."

"No kidding," Reno agreed. "Who last saw Elena, and where? It must have been you, Rude. I saw her when I gave her the keys to the prison cell."

Rude nodded. "After she opened up the cell, Rene ran away. We decided to go arm ourselves in the armory and split up to look for her. Haven't seen her since. We need to hurry; she's in no condition to fight."

Following his own advice, Tseng ignored that last overly dramatic comment and treated the situation as any other. "Let's see if we can find the armory and go from there."

The trio walked in silence until Rude found the armory. He thought back. Let's see, I took this path," he motioned to the northward path, "and she took this one."

"Hopefully this one doesn't branch out like…well, all the other paths in this place," said Reno.

The path they walked down was, for the most part pretty linear, with only a few dead end turns on the way. Suddenly, from further down the hall, a shrill voice started to scream. Tseng, Reno and Rude looked at each other.

"Rene."

They raced down the hall until they came to an open door where all the noise was coming out of.

Elena gasped as she looked up. Rene Shinra was standing right in front of her, fists on her hips and a snarl on her mouth.

"You!" Rene cried. "You're the one that got me into all this! If you hadn't tried to keep me locked up…I've been shot at, and manhandled by three different guys, and I saw one - no, two dead people!"

As Rene went on, her voice got progressively louder until she was yelling. Elena frantically shushed her finger in an attempt to motion the hysterical girl to be quiet. It obviously wasn't working.

Just as she stood up in order to physically try and keep the girl quiet, a large pair of arms squeezed Rene's neck from behind with such amazing skill and precision that the girl passed out, but completely unharmed. As Rene slithered to the floor, Tseng was left standing.

"Tseng!" Elena cried. "And Rude! And Reno! Let's get out of here!!"

Reno snorted. "Yeah, if we can find the exit."

Elena grinned and held up a piece of paper. "I don't think that will be too hard. Look what I found!"

Tseng took the paper and looked it over. It was a complete map of the underground hideout. Elena had even found a pen and had marked the way out from the room they were in.

 "I was passing this hall when I had an idea to search this office. I found this, along with a lot of other vital information about AGP. I was just about to find my way out when Rene came in!"

"Let's get out now, and fill in each other later," Rude wisely suggested. He quickly walked out, not wanting to get stuck carrying Rene…again. Tseng followed, map in hand. Reno narrowed his eyes and tossed the girl over his shoulder, with Elena right behind him.

Leading the group, Tseng made his way to the exit. Looking up, he spotted the manhole above the ladder. He motioned for everyone to go ahead of him as he watched the hall for any sign of danger.

After everyone was safely above ground, Tseng climbed up and led the group to the airport, glad this mission was finally over.


	14. Chapter 14

The Shinra plane glided through the sky with its five weary passengers on board. Rene had crashed, sprawling herself over two seats, deep in slumber. Rude sat with his head leaned back on the seat, possibly asleep – no one could really tell through his sunglasses which Tseng had been thoughtful enough to bring with him. Reno sat unbuckled, elbows resting on his knees and hands dangling, lost in thought. Every once in a while he would shake his head slightly as if her were thinking the unimaginable. Tseng sat next to Elena who was fast asleep.

He looked up almost sympathetically at the mean looking bruises on her neck. Lifting his hand up, he ran a thumb over one of the welts. It was a large bump and hot to the touch. Her eyes fluttered as Tseng probed the overly-sensitive sore spot.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," he apologized.

Elena licked her lips before she spoke, trying not to move her neck. "Its okay, I don't think I was sleeping," she said rather hoarsely.

Tseng nodded, unsure of what to say. That usually didn't happen to him. At last he nodded. "Try and get some rest. It will be a long flight otherwise."

Elena gave a small, tired smile and closed her eyes again.

The glossy white plane touched down with a loud squeak as the tires hit the runway. Guards and mechanics were there to greet them as the door opened. One of the SOLDIERS had a wheelchair in front of him, ready to cart Rene off to her family.

Tseng held out an arm for Elena as he escorted her off the jet. "Let's get you to the infirmary," he said.

"Common, Rude. I'll drop you off," said Reno as they headed towards the parking deck.

"Tseng, I really don't think I need to go," said Elena. "They're bruises. They'll just stick me in a bed for a few days, and I can do that at home."

"I'd feel better if you had them looked at," said Tseng.

"I just really want to go home, Tseng," she said softly. As her eyes watered she cursed herself, while at the same time praying that no tears would fall in front of her boss.

"…Alright. But if I don't think they look any better tomorrow when I check in on you, I'm taking you straight to a doctor," said Tseng, noticing the tears in her eyes.

She made a feeble attempt to nod and swallowed hard, as if to suck the brimming tears away from her eyes. Tseng stepped directly in front of her and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes.

"You did well. I'm proud of you. If you ever questioned your being a Turk, this should reassure you that you are where you belong." Tseng said quietly.

Elena's groggy mind suddenly picked up momentum. "I made a lot of mistakes."

"Training and real life missions are different, Elena. A textbook can't tell you how to handle every situation. Mission's over, the objective has been met…I would count this as a success."

Elena remained quiet. Tseng offered her his arm again as they silently walked to his car.

Rude sat in the passenger seat, sneaking a sideways glance at Reno every so often. He wasn't his normal self; he was quiet, tight-lipped, and made jerky movements as he steered the car.

It was Rude's personal philosophy to not butt into people's lives, but he decided to make an exception.

"Talk to me, Reno."

Reno cracked his neck as he drove, searching for words. "It's nothing."

"Don't give me that crap, Reno."

There was a long silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Reno spoke. "You remember that night where I said I wanted to apologize to Elena? I wrote her a note and had Tseng give it to her before she left. They found it."

"Who found it?"

"AGP. They found it and saw the Shinra logo and my name. I blew her cover."

Rude was stunned. "Man, Reno…" he said sympathetically. He took a deep breath. "Look, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. This job has its risks, and getting caught is one of them. And I think it says a lot that we all got out of there safely."

Reno said nothing as he turned into Rude's apartment complex.

"Reno, you're staying here tonight," ordered Rude.

"I can handle myself, Rude," Reno said somewhat icily.

"…No, Reno, I don't think you can."

Tseng unlocked Elena's apartment and walked inside with her. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Once I have a shower, I'll be ten times better," she said.

"I'll be back tomorrow, we can talk then," said Tseng.

She made somewhat of a grimaced face. "Alright."

"Is there anything you need before I go?"

Ignoring the pain, she threw her arms around Tseng's body and hugged him tightly. Almost thrown off guard, it only took him a second to hug her back just as tightly.

A/N: 19 July 2004 – Wow. Okay, I think one more chapter should do it! I should have finished and up by next week. If you have any comments or suggestions, I really would love to hear them! I promise I'll see you soon!!


	15. Chapter 15

It took a while, but Rude had finally been able to convince Reno to stay at his place. They'd each had a few drinks in silence before Rude headed off to bed. Reno sat at the small table in Rude's kitchen as he traced the lid of his bottle with a finger. He'd been on countless missions, some which had turned out much worse that the one he'd just been on. Bringing down Sector 7 came to mind. Sure, he'd managed to pull it off, but he got himself seriously hurt in the process. In fact, that was how Elena got the job in the first place. With Reno out of commission for those few weeks, Tseng realized they needed to find a new recruit.

Reno's eyes began to burn, and he looked up at the clock. It was much later than he'd realized. Quickly throwing back what was left in his bottle, he headed off to the sofa in Rude's living room, kicked off his shoes, and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

Tseng headed over to Elena's apartment, breakfast in hand. He stopped at her door and hesitated. He'd hate to wake her up by knocking…surely she would be up by now though, right? After wavering back and forth for a moment, he took out the key to her apartment and let himself in.

He set the food down on the coffee table and looked around. Tentatively, he made his way down the hallway to see Elena curled up in bed, still fast asleep. The situation was way more awkward than he had expected it to be. But, he was here, and all he had to do was make sure she was still alive, have a quick look at her neck, and then leave her to enjoy the breakfast he'd brought.

Quietly crossing over to her bed, he could her quiet, rhythmic breathing. She was most definitely alive. Now to check the swelling. Tseng brushed Elena's hair off her neck as gently as he could. The bruise still looked pretty nasty, shiny from the amount of swelling underneath. But, Elena had been right. There was no need for her to see a doctor. It wasn't infected, and it hadn't gotten any worse. He took out a cure materia and cast a healing spell, hoping that would speed up the healing process a bit.

He placed the green orb back into his pocket, and began to turn around as he heard Elena stir. "…Tseng?"

He turned around and looked at Elena's sleepy and confused face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. Well, actually I guess you did, but it's okay."

Tseng quirked his eyebrow a bit. "I just came to make sure you were alright."

Elena's fingers went to her neck. "Still a little sore, but it's feeling much better. Thanks for the cure."

"You're welcome, Elena. Go back to sleep."

Elena sat up a little. "No, it's okay. Stay, I'll make you breakfast."

Tseng smiled a little. How very Elena. "It's all taken care of."

"You made breakfast?"

"Well, I bought some. It's on your table when you get up. If you need anything, let me know. I mean it."

"No, don't leave yet…I need to talk to you."

"We can discuss the mission later, Elena."

Elena looked up at him. "Please, at least stay and have breakfast with me. I'm already awake."

Tseng sighed softly. He could do that.

Reno rolled over onto his side and stared at the wall. Finally, he gave up on the idea of going back to sleep. Sitting up, and rubbing at his eyes, he heard Rude in the kitchen.

"Morning," Rude said, noticing Reno sitting up.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Rude had poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table, still strewn with beer bottles from the previous night.

Reno stood and stretched, making his way to the kitchen to help himself to a bowl of cereal as well.

Rude looked as if he was going to say something for several long moments, but in the end, he took another heaping spoonful of cereal.

"I'm okay. Well, I slept like crap on your sofa – thanks – but I'm okay, really."

Rude set his spoon back in his bowl. "Good. And sorry about the sofa."

The well deserved day had gone by all too fast for everyone. But, as usual, Rude was the first to arrive at the office the next day.

Turning on the light, he went over yesterday's events in his head. Reno had started to act a little more like himself by last night. However, he was still a little nervous about everyone being together in the office. There would be tension. Rude didn't like tension.

He had just sat down to fill out paperwork for the past mission when Elena and Tseng walked out of the elevator.

"Elena, how are you?"

"Good, Rude. I'm…good." She smiled.

Rude nodded and gave her a small smile. Soon, all three of them were busily scratching out their accounts of the mission.

Several minutes passed before Reno walked in. "Morning," he greeted them.

Elena looked up, and she and Reno stared at each until he abruptly sat down at his desk and shuffled around some clutter.

Elena frowned, still watching Reno. They hadn't really talked since they'd split up searching for Rene. Suddenly, she had an idea…

"Excuse me, I left something in my car…" she said, walking up to the elevator.

Just as she hoped, Reno silently stood and got into the elevator as well.

Tseng and Rude looked at each other as the door closed.

"How is he?" asked Tseng.

Rude nodded his head slowly. "He's better."

Elena and Reno rode the elevator down to the parking deck in silence. Getting off, she looked at Reno slightly apologetically. "I really didn't need anything from my car."

"I know."

They stood looking at each other for a few minutes.

"I-I'm so sorry, Elena. I'm sorry my note gave you away."

"Reno…"

"And if something worse had happened to you because of it, I-"

"Reno, stop. It's okay. I'm okay. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm really a Turk."

Reno gave her a funny look. "Yes…"

Elena smiled. "No, Reno…I really _am_ a Turk!"

Reno finally understood what she was getting at. "Elena, you have been for almost two months."

"And I will be for a very long time, so you'd better get used to it."

Reno grinned. "I'll try. Say, you and Tseng were looking a little chummy this morning…"

Elena socked his arm and glared good naturedly at him before throwing her arms around his waist and giving him a hug. "Reno, the things you told me in your note meant a lot to me."

Reno hugged her back. "I…"

They broke apart. Reno scratched at his head and looked at Elena with a smile. "Ready to head back up?"

"Absolutely."

A/N: Well, there it is. I told you'd I'd finish! I have very fond memories of writing this story, oh, two years ago, even though I look back at it now and kind of cringe. Zing? Roth? AGP? WTF? But, I hope even though it was a bit silly, that it was enjoyable. And I really, really am sorry it took so long.

I would LOVE to hear what you think. This is the first story I've actually finished.

I don't know what happened, but all the previous chapters lost the markers I had put between scene changes, making it a little confusing to read. Sorry bout that. I'll get around to fixing that.


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